The Rooney family of County Wexford needs a fresh start. But fresh, as so often is the case, involves finances.
And that's why Steve Rooney and his wife have decided to put up their traditional style cottage in a raffle.
The cottage is just outside Enniscorthy.
Said Rooney: "My wife and I have four daughters, and after years of living with Ulcerative Colitis, I was left with a permanent colostomy bag. The illness has changed every part of my life and brought physical, emotional and financial challenges that I never imagined.
"Despite everything, I've refused to give up. I'm studying for a Psychology degree from home because my health no longer allows me to attend classes in person. Unfortunately, I can't get government funding because my course has to be completed remotely, so I've had to pay for it myself. My goal is to build a career where I can help other people facing mental health and life challenges.
"Things have become so difficult financially that my wife has had to take a job in Dublin just to keep us going. It means we're apart for half the week, and while she's away I'm at home looking after our four daughters on my own while managing my disability and health every day. It's not easy, but we do everything we can to keep our family together.
"After a lot of thought, we made the heartbreaking decision to raffle our fully furnished traditional-style cottage and a separate mobile guest home instead of simply selling them. We hope one lucky person gets the chance to own a beautiful property in Ireland while giving our family the opportunity to make a fresh start.
"The part that's most important to me is that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Children's Cancer Treatment Charity to help cover their fuel costs for a year. Even though we're struggling ourselves, we wanted this raffle to make a difference for families who are facing unimaginable circumstances. If we can help them continue their incredible work while also helping our own family, then it will all have been worthwhile."
The Rooney home is not the first to be placed on the market in Ireland by means of a raffle. Steve Rooney also uses the word "competition."
But the circumstances behind the selling are unusual, indeed urgent. So it's not surprising that there has been considerable media interest in outlets such as the Irish Independent in a national context, and Wexford Weekly in a local one.
Stated the headline in the Independent: "Why this disabled Wexford father is giving people the opportunity to win his entire home for just €10."
Reported the Wexford Weekly: "Steve hopes that by sharing his family’s story, others will see beyond the raffle itself."
Now of course buying a ticket is a long shot if winning the cottage is the sole motivation for purchase. But there's more to this than a gamble according to Steve Rooney.
More information, including a link to purchase tickets for the raffle can be found at https://raffall.com/425506/enter-raffle-to-win-furnished-3-bed-cottage-mobile-home-wexford-hosted-by-bowiesoul47. Steve Rooney's email is steverooney31@gmail.com.
