Ashbourne good Samaritan reunites cancer survivor with lost engagement ring

By Louise Walsh

A fianceé whose engagement ring was extra special as the proposal came while she was celebrating two years cancer free, had given up all hope of seeing the lost diamond band again - until it was handed in by a good Samaritan.

Sinéad Mulvey only noticed her beautiful diamond and sapphire ring was missing when she returned home after a trip to Ashbourne, Co. Meath with her fiance Eoin Halligan last week.

"I had taken my ring off to put on hand cream and left it in my lap," she said.

"I had a flowery summer dress on and gathered it up to get out of the car, after we had parked near the Ashbourne Court Hotel. I forgot about the ring and it obviously dropped out of my dress.

"It was only when we got home to Blanchardstown that I noticed it was gone. We went back to Ashbourne and searched everywhere but couldn't find it so we left our details with the local Gardai as well as nearby shops."

However, by midweek the couple had lost all hope and they had received no leads despite posting extensively across social media groups.

"Wednesday morning came and I said, that's it, I'm done. It's not happening," she said.

However the couple then got a call later that morning from Ashbourne Gardai to say the ring had been handed in.

"We were overjoyed. We got in touch with the man who found the ring to see if we could give him a thank you present but he said he didn't want anything.

"He had found the ring near where we were parked and he was engaged himself so knew how important it was to the owners. He then saw a post about the ring on social media and handed it in to the gardai.

"Most people would have thought I'd never see the ring again but it just goes to prove there are still good people and happy endings in the world."

Sinead said the ring was even more special as Eoin proposed to her on New Year's Eve 2023 in Bali, when she was celebrating two years cancer freel. The trip was extra special because they were with her brother and his family who live in Australia.

In urging women to get checked if they feel anything is wrong, she said: "I knew something was wrong. I pushed and pushed to get tests and results which was even harder as it was during Covid-19.

"I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer so I had two major operations and a hysterectomy and chemotherapy but thankfully, I got the all-clear and I am now five years cancer free.

"The ring was individually made so the proposal was so special to me. It was new beginnings."

Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of female cancer deaths in Ireland every year with almost 400 cases diagnosed and 300 deaths.

Symptoms include abdominal bloating and pain in the abdomen and pelvic area as well as bowel changes.

"Every woman knows their body so please, if you notice any changes, however small, please get them checked. It could save your life."