Fiona Murdoch | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Question: What do TV presenters Mary Kennedy and Duncan Stewart have in common with comedian Des Bishop and the late King of the Roads Joey Dunlop? Answer: They have all devoted time and energy to helping people less fortunate than themselves. Their stories appear in 'Everyday Heroes' alongside those of many other volunteers in Ireland today. Some, like Adi Roche, are high profile while others are less well known, but they all share one characteristic a sheer determination to make a difference . None of the contributors thinks of themselves as heroic and yet their remarkable stories deserve to be heard. What makes two young people abandon high-flying careers for voluntary work? Why does a midlands couple choose to spend their spare time helping the homeless and wheelchair users and befriending Travellers? Why did Jonathan Irwin and Mary-Ann O Brien set up the Jack and Jill Children s Foundation? What made Richard Donovan and Mark Pollock run marathons all over the globe to fundraise for charity? And why does Margaret McKinney, whose son disappeared thanks to the IRA, go out of her way to comfort people bereaved and traumatised in Northern Ireland? While society may appear increasingly interested in a selfish, competitive pursuit of materialism, it is also true that a third of the Irish population does some kind of voluntary work. 'Everyday Heroes' celebrates this fact.