Blue suede shows and big white coats go forth

PUT it down to the marvel of medical science: Elvis Presley was seen strutting his stuff in Dublin yesterday.

As you might expect, the men in white coats weren’t far behind. Elvis, by that stage, had left the building.

We caught up with him outside UCD’s medical faculty on Earlsfort Terrace - all shades and that outrageous quiff, adoring fans taking his photograph.

Closer inspection revealed The King to be none other than UCD third-year medical student Ronan Sugrue, doing his bit for the MedDay Charity Collection.

More than 400 volunteers - all UCD medical students - had braved the early morning chill in their white coats to collect for AWARE, the Alzheimer Foundation and the Bubblegum Club, the foundation for children with special needs.

Ronan was clear about choosing a career in medicine: “What appeals to me is working in a hospital - and helping people. Every day is different.” Both parents are in the profession, a case of medicine in the blood, then.

“Last year we raised over €35,000 and this is our target again this year,” said medical society treasurer, fifth-year Cilian Ó Maoldomhnaigh. Keeping a watchful eye on the buckets full of money, he said: “The biggest problems we had was finding buckets late last night, as everybody wanted to volunteer.”

Fair City actors Killian O’Sullivan and Maclean Burke (otherwise soldier Lorcan Foley and painter decorator Damien Halpin) found themselves involved in the Mater Bed Push.

All-male pom-pom dancers paraded up Grafton Street in the final collection of the day, a mid-morning sight that had to be seen.