Four-most festival to welcome quadruplets for raise charity funds
Organisers, who attracted 55 sets of twins to the first festival last year, hope to have more than 100 pairs this year. A few triplets have also signed but the Morris four from Mollassey, near Callan, are so far the only quads.
Their mother Mary, who has the quads and no other children, said: “When I had this four I thought this is my full account. It can be mind-boggling at times looking after four the same age.
“Just because you say ‘no’ to one of them doesn’t mean two, three and four will think the same.”
Mary laughed: “Life with quads is like a roller-coaster. They have no problem trying to drive me around the bend.”
She added that when the quads were born nine years ago husband Tom, a mechanic, and she decided not to go public.
She added: “We wanted them to be very much individuals. They just have the same birthday, and I think it has worked.”
They are participating in the festival to help the Meningitis Trust which Mary believes is a wonderful charity.
Also at the festival will be the formerly conjoined Benhaffaf twins, Hassan and Hussein, from Cork, who last year underwent a perilous 14-hour operation at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital to successfully separate them.
They will be guests of honour at the TwinFest and will be accompanied by their parents Angie and Azzedine and sisters Malika and Iman.
Last year the youngest twins attending were the Daly twins, Jess and Belle, at seven months and the oldest were Gerard and Alfie Mulligan, brothers from Leitrim, who are now in their 90th year.
TwinFest Ireland founder, and twin, Patrick Ward was inspired to promote awareness and raise funds for the Meningitis Trust to commemorate the memory of his five-month old niece, Katie Garvey, who succumbed to the devastating illness on St Valentine’s Day, 2007.
This year a donation will also be made to the Benhaffaf’s Little Fighters Fund.
* www.twinfest.ie
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