Saturday, May 29, 2021

Barney Curley’s greatest legacy is off the race track

A lovely letter from a religious sister in The Irish Times yesterday.

Well known horseman and betting supremo Barney Curley died on Sunday, May 23 at the age of 81.

Barney’s son Charlie was killed in a road accident near his stables in 1995. His son’s tragic death left a deep impression on Barney.

A year after the accident he visited a friend from his days while studying for the priesthood, who was working with children in Zambia, who had been orphaned but the unfolding catastrophe of Aids.

Curley founded Direct Aid of Africa(Dafa) soon afterwards and spent the last 25 years raising millions to build houses, schools and hospitals, which transformed the lives of thousands of Zambians.

Greg Ward in the Guardian wrote: “He was lionised by  punters for striking fear into the hearts of bookmakers, but the man himself would have wanted the hope and opportunity he brought to one of the world’s poorest countries to be his life’s greatest legacy.
 

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