Diamond ring found in Croke Park at the 2008 Ireland-Argentina Rugby Match
October 26th, 2010
Ad Lib – Padraic O Tuairisg, Arts Student, Inverin, Co GalwayThe sSory Behind The Personal Ads, Email adlib@tribune.ieWords: Claire Ryan Photograph: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO Ad placed at Donedeal.ie
‘One of the guys from my local rugby team offered me tickets for the Ireland vs Argentina match at Croke Park back in 2008. I said it to my dad and he was up for going to Dublin so we set off early on the Saturday morning of the match.
The tickets were pure chance and as it turned out we had excellent seats in the Cusack Stand. They were almost on the halfway line and about 15 rows from the pitch. The match was okay but not very eventful until Ireland got their first try and of course everyone went crazy. We were all standing up cheering and roaring “Go on, Ireland!”
It was while I was up on my feet celebrating the try that I felt this knock on the back of my ankle. I was like “What the hell was that?” I thought someone had thrown a coin at me or was messing when it hit the back of my ankle and went into my shoe. It felt like a two euro coin but when I picked it out of my shoe I discovered it was a ring. A pretty impressive ring, as it turned out. There were five diamonds in it. I thought to myself that somebody must be very pissed off that they lost this.
So I stood up again when everyone sat down and started waving and shouting “Did anyone lose a ring?” I kept shouting for a few minutes but no one claimed it. I asked the people beside me, behind me, in front of me but none of them had lost anything. In the end I gave up and sat down and put the ring in my wallet. I meant to drop it into lost and found on my way out but with the mass exodus after the match I totally forgot. We just wanted to get out of the crowds fairly rapid.
We didn’t stay in Dublin for the night. We headed out of the city and just stopped off in Athlone for food on our way back to Galway.
When I got home and took my wallet out I found the ring and realised I’d forgotten to drop it into the lost and found desk so I put it into my bedside locker that night for safekeeping and of course I forgot about it for ages and ages until I found it a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out my locker. I decided it was still worth putting up on the internet to try and find the owner.
Even though it’s a couple of years on I know that someone must be upset about losing it. I’ve had a couple of people contact me and claim the ring belongs to them but I don’t believe them. They couldn’t give me a full story and what they did tell me just didn’t add up. The ad has been up three weeks. I’ve also gotten a few offers from people to buy it but I explained that it’s not mine to sell and I’d much prefer to find the owner.
There’s no name engraved on the ring but it’s quite distinctive. It’s not your typical wedding band but my mum says it definitely is a wedding band. I think it could be a friendship ring or an engagement ring for a man but it’s definitely a man’s ring because it’s huge.
Ireland won the match in the end but I can’t remember the score. The person who lost the ring could have been out for a few pints after the match and may not have realised for a good while that the ring was gone.
If I don’t find an owner I don’t know what I’ll do with it. I don’t want to give it to the wrong person but eventually I’ll have to do something with it.”
October 24, 2010
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