An Irish girl had a social distancing birthday party to remember as Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on every facet of Irish life.
Katie Kinsella, from Rathcormac in County Sligo, turned 12 on Thursday but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that she couldn't celebrate the big day with her friends.
New social distancing guidelines do not permit gatherings of more than four people, meaning that Katie missed the opportunity to celebrate her last birthday before becoming a teenager.
Instead, her parents organized a bit of a surprise for her.
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While Katie stood in her own front yard, around a dozen of her friends drove by to wish her a happy birthday. Car after car whizzed by the Kinsella's front gate and beeped their horns as a sign of friendship and solidarity.
So my daughter, Katie, had her 12th Birthday today. She couldn't have any friends over so we arranged a birthday drive by with all her friends as a surprise for her. Best bunch of friends ever!! #rathcormac #sligo #ireland #socialdistancing #COVID2019 pic.twitter.com/G0sV2zGPXU
— Katie (@katiekins76) March 26, 2020
A couple of her friends even held up "happy birthday" banners as they drove by. One friend even left a banner on the pavement for her before retreating a safe distance back to her car.
Katie was clearly shocked by the whole thing and it will be a long time before she forgets this memorable birthday. The look of unbridled joy on her face as each friend passes by would warm even the coldest of hearts.
This type of heartwarming solidarity has been commonplace across Ireland since the outbreak of COVID-19 on Irish shores at the beginning of the month and we'd love to feature more examples of it.
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