Family to name new dog after fireman

A FAMILY whose two pet dogs – Daisy and Harry – tragically perished in a house fire two weeks ago have been overwhelmed by the support and  goodwill of the people of Clonakilty since the incident. 

They are so grateful that they have even decided to name their new pet after one of the local firemen who fought the blaze that caused considerable damage to their home.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Eve Mehigan – who  has been running the popular Betty Brosnan’s café on Clonakilty’s Pearse Street with her mum Olive for three years – said they will re-open on Thursday on limited hours from 10am to 3pm.

‘People in Clonakilty have been amazing and we received so much support with people offering hotel rooms or rental properties or places to stay. You don’t  know the support available until you actually need it. I heard people talk about community spirit but never knew what it actually felt like,’ said Eve.

Eve and her brother Brian were on their way home from Cork city on Sunday June 9th when word broke about the fire at their home in Kilgarriffe. Their mum Olive had been visiting their sister in Belfast that day but made her way home once she was told about the fire.

‘Our first instinct was to get our three dogs out but the flames were too high. I tried to get to them but couldn’t. Thankfully, Blake, a five-year-old toy poodle escaped the fire but sadly we lost both Daisy (an 11-year-old beagle) and Harry (a 4-year-old toy poodle) as they were trapped in a room and couldn’t get out. We also want to thank Meghan Kenny the vet who looked after Blake following the fire.’

Eve has nothing but high praise for Clonakilty Fire Brigade who attended the fire, which is understood to have started in the utility room.

‘They were amazing and they got there so quickly and were really helpful. My sister has located another toy poodle in Scotland and we’re going to call him ‘Archie’ after station officer Ronan Archbold.’ The family have been staying in a holiday home belonging to a relative since the fire and in a strange turn of events Eve just received keys to her new home last Friday.

‘It’s partial silver lining I guess after everything that happened and my mum and brother are coming to live with me for now but that wasn’t the plan initially!’