How a woman in Wales plans to reunite a Waterford girl with a missing football
Aline Denton plans to return the football to its home in Waterford.
Searching for a restoration of faith in humanity during a global pandemic?
Then read on.
Our story begins at Woodstown beach in Waterford on Sunday, January 10th, when Aoife Ní Niocaill watched her football float off on the tide and into the dark blue sea.
Fast forward seven days later to Llanrhystud on the Welsh coast where Aline Denton was out for her lockdown walk.
Aline takes up the story: “I often take a bag with me to collect rubbish. I'm a volunteer with the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales in my spare time, and we take part in beach cleans and other marine activities on the west Wales coast - when not in a lockdown of course.
“I occasionally find food packaging and fishing crates from Ireland - it just shows how far and how quickly items can travel at sea, and when rubbish is discarded it doesn't just disappear at sea, it can turn up anywhere and potentially be a hazard to wildlife.
“The football was on the strandline at the top of the beach. I was about to put it in my litter bag when I noticed Aoife's name on it, hand-written. This did take a bit of Googling as I’m familiar with the name Aoife, but not the use of ‘Ní’ or her surname.
“It had obviously come from Ireland as it had a GAA logo.
“I took a photo and posted it on my Facebook page when I got home, just for general interest, wondering how long it might have taken to get here from Ireland, and where exactly it had come from.”
Aoife’s ball found in Wales pic.twitter.com/AJ3YOV53Af
— Andy Watters (@andyirishnews) January 17, 2021
She wrote on a public post: "If anyone knows Aoife Ni Niocaill, her football’s just washed up on Llanrhystud beach, West Wales! Wonder how long it’s taken to get here from Ireland?"
Aline continued:
Four hours later, and Aoife's dad replied to say that he had seen the post and that Aoife had lost the ball seven days earlier near Waterford.
“It was really amazing to hear from him, and to hear how excited Aoife had been to see the photo of her football in Wales when she thought it was lost forever.”
Speaking yesterday on WLR FM, Ruairi Mac Niocaill explained what had happened the previous weekend as they walked along the shoreline.
“Aoife was playing near the sluice where the water goes out, the ball went in and the tide had turned. The tide had turned and was starting to go out fast and all we could do was stand there and watch the ball go out. All we could do was wave at it. Away it went.”
Ruairi thought little more of it until Sunday afternoon when Aline’s post and some social media detective work put them in touch.
“People connected me and I put up a message thanking the lady for finding it.
“Hats off to her for decoding Aoife’s handwriting!
“It is mad, it shows the power of social media when used for good.
“It was very impressive and shows what a powerful tool it can be.”
Wales 🏴 and Ireland 🇮🇪 - Just a hop skip & a kick over the #IrishSea!!
— Ireland CG Cardiff (@irelandinwales) January 18, 2021
Demonstrated this weekend as 10 year old Aoife Ní Niocaill’s @officialgaa ball made it from #Waterford to West Wales, arriving in #Llanrhystud 🏐
Keep up the training Aoife! @GaultierGAAClub @Paul_FoIey pic.twitter.com/mveUMG1ilr
And what of Aoife’s reaction?
Ruairi explained: “She is a bit bewildered and wondered why a whale hadn’t eaten it or why it hadn’t been punctured by a narwhal but she is impressed how many people are interested in her ball.”
The ball is safe, well, and dry with Aline who hopes to have it back to her rightful owner very soon.
She explained: “As we're all limited with our travel at the moment, it appears the football has travelled more miles in a week than most of us have done throughout lockdown! I'm planning to post the football back to her.”
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