Munster squad brings ray of festive light to sick children

A BULKY red advance party for Santa trooped through the children’s wards of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital yesterday, bearing gifts and bringing bagfuls of smiles.

More than 40 members of the Munster rugby squad put Sunday’s big game against Scarlets on the back burner as they lit up the lives of more than 50 sick children in the Rainbow and Sunshine wards.

Ronan O’Gara remarked: “As the parent of young children, you know how quickly they can go down and how quickly they can rebound again. It is a very distressing and stressful time when a child is in hospital and you worry all the time.