These Cork ‘plastic fans' are cheering up the CUH ahead of Sunday's final

Irish Independent

18-07-2025

John is one of two Johnnies, alongside John Keenan, who have taken their job as hospital porters at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to the next level, leveraging the Bottle Deposit Return Scheme to raise funds that are independent of any department, executive, or administration, and has been used to vastly improve patient care.
Televisions, remote controls, dummies for babies, headphones for children with noise sensitivity, even table fans to help combat the recent spell of hot weather, 'The Johnnies' now have their own custom, clean, branded bottle bins, and a separate area in the hospital's yard, where we chat about their latest spend.
'I love hurling, I used play with 'The Barrs' (St Finbarr's Hurling Club in Togher). We were in the hospital during the week and talking about the match, so I said to John Keenan, 'why don't we get some bunting'.
'I had seen a fella selling it on the side of the street a few days ago, so I said, 'why don't we get some for the wards?'. We put it up around the kids wards in Safari, Ladybird, our colleague Mary Coleman did the kids A&E and did a fantastic job, and it just totally brightens up the place for the kids.'
The pair, along with Operations Manager Brendan O'Reilly, show me around the various wards where Cork flags and red-and-white bunting hang proudly, bringing a bit of Croke Park to the CUH.
'We spent about €900 between flags and bunting. My sister Eileen works in Cummins' Sports and they have been very good to us,' John explains.
The Johnnies are like celebrities in the place. Porters, doctors, management, nurses, even patients stop and salute them for their work, which had originally started among the two lads and fellow porter John Lenihan to fund a Chinese Takeaway, (which, incidentally, they never got).
'We'd be up in the wards collecting and you can hear the patients say to their families, 'there's a box outside the door now there for The Johnnies', they're doing fantastic work so support them.
'Even when I'm outside the hospital, I have friends who say to me 'Johnny, I have a few bags at home for ya', and I'll call up and pick them up.'
As we enter the children's ward, a group of nurses give the two fundraisers and colleagues a big welcome, before graciously posing for a photo alongside one of the many Rebel flags dotted right across the hospital.
'When we thought of the bunting, it was an extra bit of work, but we got a great kick out of it. Down towards the A&E, especially the older people, they were really cheered up by it.
'There was a good few patients now starting to put up Tipperary colours on their own doors, so it's a good aul' laugh!'
However, John says after 14 months, the efforts are taking their toll on the two men.
'We don't want to give it up but we'd love for more people to come on board because every day we're at it. I'm just off nights this morning, and I'm supposed to be off for a week now, but I'm back and taking a bag over to my local SuperValu this evening,' John says.
'260,000 bottles is an awful lot, and it's non-stop. I'd almost be afraid of going home because I'd see the bottles more than I'd see the wife! And the car is destroyed! I put a few towels down to try and protect it, but that doesn't do much.
'I'd love if someone put their hand up to valet it for me!'