A Kerry teen has crowdfunded a trip to see his girlfriend in America
Shane Leahy and Maddie Walsh are star-struck lovers separated by an ocean.
Their romance began in Dingle where Maddie who is from Massachusetts was visiting family.
The 18-year-old met local man Shane,17, over an ice-cream in Garvey’s Supervalu in Dingle and they hit it off, spending four days exploring Dingle together. But, sadly, Maddie had to return to America with her parents.
They kept in contact and Shane flew out to Boston last February for a week, a trip which Maddie says "only affirmed my love for him".
Alas, planning future trips has been hampered by the high cost of flights so Maddie set up a GoFundMe page looking for donations as she says the pair are concentrating on saving for college.
"Shane and I both work a lot during the school year and the summer, so we understand the value of hard work and earning money, but between this and saving before we leave for college, it seems near impossible that we can make this summer work."
And in just four days, they've surpassed their target of $1000 - it looks like Shane is going to Boston and people who donated have also been leaving very sweet messages of support for the young couple.
And for any cynics out there, Maddie has this message:
"We hope that people will be inspired by our story and dedication to one another and want to donate to our little love campaign... We understand that this may seem a little silly but it would truly make our summer."
