05/06/2023
My name is Dapo Odumeru MBE (www.dapoodumeru.org) . I am the founder of Conor Mac Foundation, in memory of my brother and friend Conor John McKenna, who passed away on the 6th of April 2023.
I first met Conor in 1984 on the rugby pitch of Clongowes Wood College Co Kildare Ireland during a training exercise. The following year, fate made sure we ended up at the same University in Galway Ireland.
My wonderful parents lived in Nigeria and had send me to study in Ireland and I would forever be grateful to them. After few years in Galway, the economy of Nigeria took a downturn. This meant that I was not going to continue my education in Galway, and I mentioned this to Conor, not really expecting anything. But to my surprise, Conor had spoken to his parents in relation to my situation and they stepped in to ensure I continued my education. They became my family throughout my stay in Ireland and gave me the foundation and loving environment I needed to fulfil my destiny.
Conor was a destiny helper, and I have reflected on many occasions what would have happened to me if he never had said anything to his parents. In Dec 2016, I received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II. In 2023 I received the University of Galway Alumni Award for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. I don’t think these achievement would have happened without Conor’s intervention in 1986-87.
Few weeks after hearing of Conor’s death, I received a request through Facebook from a lady called Kemi Adeshola. She pleaded with me as she could not pay her daughter University’s fee in Nigeria. At first, I ignored the message thinking it was a scam. But I could not ignore the cry of this woman, and as strange as it may sound, I felt my brother was telling me we helped you with your university fee, you should do the same. So, I took on the case and after due diligence research to ensure it was a genuine case, I paid the University fee on the 4th May 2023 one day after my brother was laid to rest. It then dawned on me that the legacy Conor left in my life should live on through this foundation.
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