By Alana Loftus
When Billy Higgins first visited Southill in County Limerick, he was met with a fractured, struggling community. He saw the light that shone through the cracks and decided that if no one was going to take a chance on Southill, he was.
Now, sandwiched between a portrait of the Pope and the Virgin Mary, is a photograph of Billy Higgins- hung proudly in the home of a Southill family that he stays in touch with. When he questioned why his picture had replaced one of John F. Kennedy, the homeowner said, “JFK never brought my daughter to America!”
Billy Higgins first visited the small community of Southill in County Limerick in 1985, when his daughter was selected to run track in the Shamrock Games. He joined the team that brought ten young athletes to Ireland for ten days. During his stay there, Billy began to notice some struggles within the community- there was a 35% unemployment rate, which was only worsening as the years went by. In the late 80s, 94% of all young people had left school at the age of 16.
“There were close to 2,500 kids between the ages of 10 and 15 living in the area. It was sort of a fatherless generation. Many young mothers were not getting married because there was no divorce allowed. They were claiming the dole (unemployment). Drugs and crime were becoming an issue.”
Billy started thinking about what he could do to raise money for the children of Southill. The priest from their parish travelled to America, where Billy kept in touch with him and promised to do what he could to help him improve the area and provide better prospects for the future of the children.
“I spoke to a friend of mine that worked for Aerlingus and sourced 60 airline tickets- I wrote the cheque myself, for 28,000 dollars. Of course, my wife nearly fell over,” he jokes He planned a fundraiser to cover as much of the cost as he could and when word got around about what Billy was doing, the support was overwhelming. With nearly 500 guests, they ended up raising enough money to purchase airline tickets for 96 children.
Naturally, it was a competitive feat to obtain one of these golden tickets to the U.S. and the kids wrote essays to the Mayor of Boston, explaining why they should be chosen to travel. That summer, the kids from Southill spent 3 weeks with host families in Boston, enjoying every minute of experiencing a world outside of their own.
Though the young visitors returned home that summer, Billy’s involvement with the community had only begun. He remained in touch with the Church and the school in Southill, and was determined that he was going to help them to improve the quality of life for these children. From there he was involved in setting up a boxing club, a reading club, free breakfast and lunch for the school students and various sports teams. He raised money so that the school could have a Dell computer lab; something that not many schools could afford at that time.
During one trip to Limerick, a friend reached out from Rossmuck in County Galway, wanting to start a girls’ soccer club. They knew there was only so much their small pub fundraisers could generate, so they asked Billy for his help.
“I sent a thousand dollars and they nearly fell onto the floor,” he smiles retelling the story. “He said to me, “Billy we’re gonna put that name on the jerseys as the sponsor.” I figured okay, Southill Childrens Fund… Then he sends a picture of the jerseys that say “Billy Higgins, South Boston” across the front!”
Billy Higgins has become an undeniable hero in County Limerick. His visits now consist of trips to the mayor’s office, police escorts and warm welcomes from the residents of Southill.
“They’re very good to me over there. They treat me like I’m the president of the United States,” he jokes. “But at the end of it all, I just come back and go to work. I tell them, I’m just a regular guy.”
The kind hero from across the pond has more in common with the children of Southill than they might expect. Billy credits his own turbulent upbringing for his deep connection to the developing community.
“I grew up down by the housing projects in South Boston. My parents separated when I was young. We didn’t have much. I remember going to school myself with no breakfast and no money for lunch. I had holes in my shoes that the snow would get through in the winter. When I met these kids, I felt like I could relate to them.”
For years, he balanced his gas station and auto body shop businesses while raising four children and managed to dedicate all of his free time to improving a community thousands of miles away. His efforts were recognized in 2014, when he was presented with the Benemerenti Medal- a special honor awarded by the Pope to a citizen who has dedicated years of service to the Catholic Church. The medal was originally gifted to soldiers, and others who had served the community. This honor strengthened Billy’s faith in the work he was doing.
“It was the best thing I ever got.”
Billy has come into contact with generous souls every step of the way, who are willing to donate to see a community they might never visit succeed. Despite nearing his 82nd birthday, he has no plans to retire from his work with Southill. The facilities and resources that Billy has helped provide will be enjoyed by children in Southill for years to come. He now enjoys the help of his children and grandchildren in coordinating and managing the organization. The QR code pictured below will bring you directly to the Southill Children’s Fund website where you can stay up to date on their achievements and make a donation if desired.
