Donald Mac Isaac was walking along the beach near his home in Loch Ernort, Scotland when he saw an unfamiliar object. That object was a sliotar, which is a ball used for hurling, with an engraving of a crest and name on it from the Carryduff Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). He then thought of the ball’s owner and decided to track the owner down.
The eight-year-old owner, Fionn O’Neill, had lost his hurling ball while vacationing in Donegal last summer. Donald contacted the club, and it was through that contact that Fionn’s mother got a message about Donald’s find and was given her son’s beloved hurling ball back.
“I was shocked it turned up in Scotland – I didn’t think it could end up there. I was happy it turned up because it’s like a souvenir,” said Fionn O’Neill. Donna Fisher, Fionn’s mother, said they might have to take Donald up on his offer of seeing the ball when they meet in Scotland.
Donald Mac Isaac is a Scottish Gaelic speaker who recognised the hurling ball as an Irish Gaelic-related item. He felt it was important to contact Carryduff after seeing Fionn’s name on the ball and make sure it is redelivered to its rightful owner. He said he would be delighted to reunite Fionn with his sliotar, offering an invitation for Fionn and his family to come to Scotland.
Fionn learned the three-roll-lift sport in such a way that he was awarded the ball, making it special to him. He said that when he gets his blessed hurling ball back, he will continue to play and promises not to lose it again as he already knows the feeling of losing something valuable
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