Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman (50) gave £43,800 to community projects before he left Limerick yesterday morning for Dublin. Local curate Father Joe Young, who arranged the visit, said yesterday: "George was so overcome with the depth of welcome he received, particularly from the Southill community and especially the children. I have known him for some years and it was the first occasion that I saw tears in his eyes. The children really got to his heart, particularly at St Kieran's National School, where he broke down when he saw the mural of himself done by three of the boys."
The money has been donated equally to the Southill Juvenile Boxing Club, the Soccer Academy at Hogan Park and the Southill Marching Band, which greeted the champion on his arrival.
That evening he retired to the Dunraven Arms at Adare, where he had dinner with Eamon Coughlan, the former Olympic runner, and J.P. McManus, the bloodstock breeder. Mr Foreman expressed his interest in bloodstock, as he has a ranch in Texas, and before leaving Adare he visited some of the stud farms in the area.
He was due to visit Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin yesterday, before going on to Manchester, where he has some business commitments.