All About Cork: Eight-year-old Rachel now supporting other children who are sick

An energetic eight-year-old Ballincollig girl who has a serious medical condition — and who last year completed The Echo Women’s Mini-Marathon in under 50 minutes — is lending her support to a fundraising appeal for the Children’s Health Foundation.

Rachel Lee was born in 2017 with a serious bowel issue.

When Rachel was just two days old, she was transferred from Cork University Maternity Hospital to Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin for immediate evaluation and treatment.

A week later, she underwent emergency colostomy stoma surgery to allow her bowel to work.

For Rachel’s parents, Niamh and Philip, their world completely changed. At a time when they should have been celebrating the arrival of their newborn baby, they were, instead, rushing home to pack a hospital bag, following an ambulance to Crumlin, and facing the reality that their baby needed emergency surgery.

Over the course of the following year, Rachel would have to undergo multiple medical procedures.

By the time she was four years old, Rachel needed a permanent colostomy stoma.

Rachel’s stoma gave her a new lease on life, and she returned to school, and started gymnastics and dancing again, becoming more energetic than ever.

Rachel’s mother, Niamh, said that her daughter’s school friends had been completely accepting of her medical condition.

“Her classmates knew about her stoma, but, to them, it was just another part of who she was. ‘Oh, yeah, Rachel has a bag,’ they’d say. No stigma, no embarrassment, just acceptance,” Niamh said.

Conditions like Rachel’s are often invisible disabilities, she added.

“This can make things difficult, like when we need to use disability restrooms to change her bag. People don’t always understand why we’re there.”

Despite this, she said, Rachel is now thriving and is the “happiest and healthiest she has ever been. She is also very independent, now doing her own stoma bag”.

This Christmas, Children’s Health Foundation, an independent charity that supports improved outcomes and patient experiences for sick children in hospital, has launched the Save a Smile campaign.

Last year, thousands of sick or injured children across Ireland attended Temple St, Crumlin, and Tallaght hospitals, as well as the urgent care centre in Connolly.

Help Children’s Health Foundation Save a Smile appeal this Christmas at childrenshealth.ie or text SAVEASMILE to 50300 to donate €4.

Texts costs €4, with Children’s Health Foundation receiving a minimum of €3.40.

Choral Christmas cheer

This Friday night, the Church of Christ Our Light in Ballincollig will host the 2025 Cork International Choral Festival Christmas concert, under the direction of Catherine Mahon Buckley.

It promises to be a night of music and readings, this year under the title ‘Choral Christmas Cheer’.

Prepare to kick off the festive season with the voices of renowned soprano Mary Hegarty, emerging vocal talents, and some of the best Cork choirs, including: Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh Cailíní Choir, Scoil Mhuire Choir Ballincollig, and The White Horse Gospel Choir.

Featured soloists are Ronan O’Leary and Siomha Marron.

The event will take place at 7.30pm this Friday, November 28, in the Church of Christ Our Light, Ballincollig. Tickets €26 from corkchoral.ie.

Domestic abuse walk-in clinic

This Thursday morning, November 27, an outreach worker from the Cuanlee Refuge will hold a walk-in clinic in the Ballincollig Family Resource Centre on Station Rd.

Cuanlee Refuge provides safe and secure crisis accommodation for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Cuanlee is a purpose-built refuge for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Since opening its doors in March 1978, Cuanlee has provided support, information, and shelter 365 days of the year.

It helps women who wish to move on and live independently, free from violence.

The walk-in clinic will offer emotional support, and directions to the relevant services, to anyone dealing with domestic violence, or other forms of abuse.

The clinic takes place on the last Thursday of every month and runs from 10am to 1pm. Email: info@cuanleerefuge.org or tel: 087-3859743.

Book signing at Leaf & Bower

This week, a Cork folklorist who regularly educates and informs RTÉ viewers about Ireland’s culture, heritage, and beliefs, will sign copies of his new book in Ballincollig’s independent bookshop, Leaf & Bower.

Shane Lehane, who lectures in University College Cork and in the Cork College of Further Education and Training, is a regular on Today with Maura and Daithi on RTÉ One, and his new book, Old Ways to New Days: A Celebration of Everyday Irish Folklore, celebrates, as it says on the cover, “the folklore, traditions, and everyday objects that shaped Ireland”.

On Thursday evening, November 27, at 7pm, Mr Lehane will be signing copies of the book at Leaf & Bower on Ballincollig’s Main St.

St Gabriel’s Christmas cards

This year, the students in St Gabriel’s Special School in Bishopstown have designed their own Christmas card to raise money for their activities.

Opened in 1998, St Gabriel’s Special School has 54 students, aged four to 18, who have severe intellectual disabilities, autism, and complex needs. Packs of five cards with envelopes are available for €5 from brid.gey77@hotmail.com, and parents will be selling the cards in the Wilton Shopping Centre this Thursday, November 27.

Santa in Ballincollig

This Friday evening, November 28, join the Ballincollig Business Association for the official Christmas lights switch-on.

There will be live entertainment, music, and plenty of fun for all ages. Santa will make a special appearance, and it promises to be a chance for all the family to soak up the magic as The Village lights up for Christmas.

It also offers the perfect chance to support local shops, restaurants, and cafés and pick up a few early gifts.

Meet Santa at 6pm at Castle West Shopping Centre. For more details, or to lend a hand, email admin@ballincollig.ie.

Neighbourhood Watch

The December meeting of the Ballincollig Neighbourhood Watch will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, December 3, at The Carrig Centre, on the Old Fort Rd, in Ballincollig, Eircode P31PV20. Members of An Garda Síochána will be there on the night, as well as representatives from other agencies. All welcome.

The numbers drawn in the Ballincollig GAA Club lottery, on Thursday, November 20, were 12, 20, 26, and 36. There was no winner of the €18,200 jackpot, but there were three consolation-prize winners for club supporters, with €100 going to Tony O’Connor, €50 to Derry O’Connor, and €50 to Mary O’Connor.

Ballincollig GAA Club lottery

Ballincollig GAA Club has migrated its lottery to its club platform, ClubZap. The new system mirrors the previous one and is played with 36 numbers, and all existing players with remaining credit have been moved across with their same numbers, plus their remaining credits.

For further information, see ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

The jackpot for this week’s lottery draw, which will take place on this Thursday, November 27, now stands at €18,400.