MARIE MEETS From one little boy to a €250,000 legacy

After 13 years, Brigitta Looney walked her son Ryan out of St Francis Special School for the final time, leaving behind a remarkable legacy that will continue to benefit generations of children.

There are some goodbyes you can prepare yourself for, and then there are the ones that hit you when you least expect them.
For Brigitta Looney, walking out of St Francis Special School in Beaufort alongside her son Ryan for the final time was always going to be one of them.
In 2014, Brigitta walked through those doors with her little boy. Last month, 13 years later, she walked out with a young man and a €250,000 legacy behind her.
“Emotional is an understatement,” she admits. “I thought I’d be stronger because I’m so involved with St Francis, but emotions hit you like a ton of bricks. There’s the fear of the unknown, what lies ahead of us, and the worry 'will he get on OK in the bigger world'?”
Those same fears were present on Ryan’s first day.
Brigitta remembers bringing her little boy into St Francis wondering whether he would settle, whether he would be OK and whether he would thrive.
“Every emotion possible goes through your head when you’re a mother of a child with special needs. Your dream is for them to be accepted and to get on in this world.”
For Ryan’s mum, the journey began long before that first day at school. Ryan was diagnosed with autism at three and a half, and Brigitta remembers the heartbreak of sitting with the multidisciplinary team and hearing her firstborn’s diagnosis.
“I feel for every parent who sits in that room hearing their child being labelled. It’s heartbreaking. But your cards are dealt, and you learn so much. Autism opened my eyes to a whole new world. I grew with my son and learned his needs, his strengths and his weaknesses.”
That journey also gave Brigitta a purpose.
She knew there was no cure for autism, but she kept asking herself what she could do to help her son. Communication was one of Ryan’s biggest challenges, and she became increasingly frustrated by the lack of speech and language services available.
At the time, Ryan was receiving just a six-week block of speech and language therapy.
“It just wasn’t beneficial, especially when communication was such a big barrier. So I thought, why not bring a private speech and language service into the school every week and work with the children and staff continuously? Children thrive with continuous routine, so it was a no-brainer.”
Brigitta brought her idea to then principal Liam Twomey and, together with Dominika Lieska of Kerry Speech and Language Clinic, the Speech and Language Therapy project began as a pilot scheme.
Initially, just five children benefited.
Today, thanks to more than a decade of fundraising, every child at St Francis Special School benefits from the service.
And the amount raised to make that possible is extraordinary. Approximately €250,000 over the past ten years.
“It makes me so proud. It’s a huge figure, and it wouldn’t have been accomplished without the parents and communities far and wide who donated throughout the years.”
The generosity came from across Kerry and beyond. Parents and friends organised their own fundraisers, while events such as the Ring of Kerry cycle and support from St John of God also helped keep the project going.
For Brigitta, one of the highlights was the annual Autism Golf Classic at Beaufort Golf Club.
One particular year, however, the golfers had to contend with more than just a challenging course. Storm Hannah arrived.
“We started with a calm morning, but in the afternoon we had to get into the golf buggy and get our golfers back to safety,” she laughs.
Even the storm couldn’t stop the fundraising.
“With the electricity gone, one of the crew drove their car up to the patio door so we would have some light, and we did the monster live raffle on Facebook. Afterwards, our musicians started playing. We had the most enjoyable golf classic. Laughter and chats in the dark. Hannah didn’t postpone us!”
There was never any regret about what she had taken on.
“It gave me purpose. I felt I needed to do something to help the children. I always feared running out of funding, and the service would stop. Thankfully, it didn’t.”
And as the fundraising grew, so did Brigitta’s ambition.
Around four years ago, she set herself one final goal before leaving St Francis.
“I said to myself, ‘My dream before I leave St Francis is that I want all of the school to benefit.’ And the dream became a reality.”
Now that Ryan has left the school, Brigitta has also stepped down as chairperson of the Speech and Language Therapy project.
There have been emotional farewells, including a special send-off from Dominika and David of Kerry Speech and Language Clinic, with whom she has worked closely over the years.
But Brigitta leaves knowing she has helped create something that will continue long after she and Ryan have moved on.
“If I can say I did anything in life, I can proudly say this is one of my best.”
And what about Ryan?
For all the fundraising, the meetings, the golf classics, the raffles and the €250,000 raised, Brigitta’s greatest achievement is standing beside her son as he takes his next step in life.
“He’s my gentle giant,” she says. “He might be non-verbal, but love needs no words, and he shows that every day.”
Brigitta had hoped that the speech and language service might help Ryan find his words, but her 13-year journey has taught her something profound.
“You don’t need words to communicate. Comprehension is all there.”
And so, after 13 years, mother and son begin their next chapter. All the while leaving behind something that will continue to change the lives of other children.
“I’m so proud we’ve come this far,” Brigitta says.
“Onwards and upwards to our next chapter.”

Life rarely turns out exactly as we imagine it, and sometimes the paths we never expected to take become the ones that shape us most. Perhaps the greatest measure of a life well lived is not what we achieve for ourselves, but what we leave behind for others. And sure, if we can have a few laughs, a lot of love, and not take ourselves too seriously along the way, then we’re probably doing OK.