Ex-Garda Kevin had given up any hope of finding ring lost at Croker

A RING that was once lost has been found and retired Garda Kevin Barry is now planning a trip to his jeweller to have it tightened for good measure.

‘I haven’t got it back yet, but I will be travelling to Dublin for the Kerry and Dublin semi-final on August 28th, which is almost a year after I lost my wedding ring at the all-Ireland final between Kerry and Dublin in September 2015,’ said the Kerry man, who has been living in Skibbereen for the past 45 years.

‘I was seated in the lower deck of the Hogan Stand out front in Croke Park and it was absolutely pouring out of the heavens. Even though I was wearing proper rain gear, I got soaked through.

‘It was a bad day for Kerry men, because the team lost in a highly-charged game by three points, and I suppose I had kept fiddling with my wedding ring throughout the game.’

He said that, as a result, it slipped off his finger unknownst to him. ‘It was only when I was at home on Tuesday morning and shaving that I noticed it was missing. I looked everywhere and even contacted Croke Park. They checked with their lost property section, but no joy.’

He also checked with the hotel, but nothing showed up there either. ‘My son, Kevin, checked photos taken on the day and he could confirm that I was wearing it on the way in, so I knew I must have lost it there. I had even reported it to the gardai in Store Street in the hope that somebody would hand it in. But nothing turned up and I had given up all hope of ever finding the ring I’d worn for the previous 44 years.’

But then lady luck shined on him. ‘Eithne’s friend, Joan Connolly, and Nuala Hegarty from Schull, who is a friend of my daughter Lorraine, were both listening to the Ray D’Arcy programme on a recent Monday and he announced that a woman called Frances had found a wedding band inscribed with the words ‘Kevin and Eithne 28 12’. 

‘Both of them instantly knew it was my missing ring and I got onto the show straight away. I was delighted with the news and I’m looking forward to collecting it on August 28th.’

Kevin is currently wearing a wedding band. It is one that his wife gave him last Christmas. But he admitted: ‘It doesn’t have the same value, sentimental or otherwise. I will only be too delighted to get my wedding ring back. It is a very good outcome because this really was the proverbial needle in a haystack.’