Máiréad Ronan: 'Will I wish I did more radio and TV shows, or will I wish I hung out with my kids?'
Máiréad Ronan pictured at the launch of Bands for Barretstown. Zac Roche has designed ‘Barretstown is more than Magic’ wrist bands in six colour variations that will be available for sale in all Applegreen stores nationwide from Monday, 21st August to Sunday, 27th August for €2. All sale proceeds will go directly to the children’s charity. Pic: Marc O'Sullivan
Almost a year into her self-imposed sabbatical, Máiréad Rónan has no regrets.
She is at the tail end of a wonderful summer spent down in Dunmore East with her three children and so far the plan has worked a treat.
After over twenty years working in radio and ten years as host of Ireland’s Fittest Family, the 43-year-old took the decision to leave it all behind in 2022.
“The reasons I left are very simple,” says the Dubliner. “I had been busy all the time from my very early twenties after my mother died right up until my last day in Today FM which was December a year ago. I have always loved radio. It is my first love and was my favourite job but I turned forty and I would have loved more children but the fourth child didn’t arrive. Then I realised, hang on, I have two babies at home and I want to hang out with them more.”
The broadcaster’s decision was also informed by the illness of a friend.
“She was the same age as me and our children were the same age. Very early on she was taking every single cocktail of drugs that was available to give her a longer life. And I was thinking I want to be at home with my kids more. Just while they’re small. Because these years fly by.”
When she talks of time flying by, Máiréad is speaking from experience. Her eldest, a son from her first marriage, is already sixteen years old and taking the train on his own from Waterford to Dublin the day we speak.
“Because I have this split family, I have an older son, you see how quickly they grow from swinging out of you, kissing you, holding your hand to, ‘Mom, get off me’ but ‘can you put a tenner on my Revolut?’ I'm lucky that I have Dara being the older sibling in the house with the girls but I just think, holy shit, they are going to be the same as him in no time. And when push comes to shove, will I wish I did more radio shows, more TV shows or will I wish I hung out with them on the beach?”
While she has moved away from the limelight, Máiréad is still held in very high regard throughout the country. While she is not on our screens or our airwaves for the moment, she is still working away on projects that are very close to her heart.
This week, she will be asking people to Band Together for Barretstown to raise funds for the great work carried out by the Kildare-based children’s charity.
Founded in 1994 by actor Paul Newman, Barretstown offers free and fun, specially-designed therapeutic camps and programs for children with cancer and other serious illnesses.
“I was introduced to Barretstown when I was working with Ray D’Arcy a million years ago,” says Máiréad.
“So I did a little bit of work with them back then. When I had children myself, your perspective changed. I mean I only had to go into Temple Street [Children’s Hospital] once with a broken arm I think. But can you imagine having a sick child all the time and that’s your whole life? So I always imagine that it must be very hard for the entire family whereas when you go to Barretstown, it's just amazing. At Barretstown, all of that is parked. There are no hospital appointments, there's no illness. It’s just fun.
“So they run these camps for sick children but they have sibling camps and then family camps too where mum and dad get to come and spend time with other mums and dads who are going through similar things. They can talk about that if they want or they can park it. And it's just really, really lovely.”
It was on one of those sibling camps that the inspiration for the aforementioned Band Together for Barretstown came about.
As part of their partnership with Barretstown, The Applegreen Charitable Fund has produced a variety of coloured wrist bands which will be on sale in Applegreen stores across the country from Monday, 21st of August to Sunday, 27th.
The bands, designed by 13-year-old Zac Roche from Shanballymore in Cork are available to purchase for €2 a pop with all proceeds going to fund the hosting and running of the charity’s camps.
Zac and his sister, 11-year-old Kristina, who has been unwell since 2012, were attending a brother & sister camp in 2022 when Zac came up with the design as part of a camp activity.
“It’s a lovely story,” says Máiréad. “They were doing some design and drawing work at the end of one of their days at the camp and they were just chilling out. Zac didn’t realise there was a competition running. Anyway, he designed this band with the words ‘Barretstown is more than magic’ and added a smiley face. When he woke up the next day, it was gone and he just assumed it had been put in the bin or cleared away with all the art supplies. But it turned out that one of the volunteers had entered the design into the competition and it won. Now it’s the whole campaign.”
It’s a slogan that in another world would probably earn a young marketeer a decent bonus but according to Máiréad, the young designer has his sights set on becoming a member of An Garda Siochana.
“He’s a gorgeous kid,” she says. “To say that he wants to go into a profession where he’s looking after people makes so much sense because he’s always on the lookout for his sister.”
If you’re travelling home from holidays this week, feeling a little glum and you’re looking to add a little colour to your life Zac’s wristbands are hard to miss.
“We were blown away by the colourful wristbands created by Zac and he has certainly captured the essence of Barretstown with the phrase ‘Barretstown is more than Magic’,” says Applegreen Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Rosie Begley.
“When the partnership was announced earlier this year, we got incredible feedback from our colleagues and customers and we know this particular initiative is going to go down well.”
- Barretstown's ‘More than Magic’ bands will be on sale in all Applegreen stores nationwide from Monday, 21st – Sunday, 27th of August with all proceeds going direct to Barretstown.
- For more information on the campaign, visit www.applegreenstores.com/charity/ or follow Applegreen’s social channels.
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