The original goal was set at €2,000.
A GoFundMe page set up to assist a pair of elderly siblings following an aggravated burglary has raised over €30,000 for the pair.
Gerry and Mary O’Halloran were the victims of the burglary in their home in the Gurranabraher area of Cork City on Sunday (13 February).
Shortly after 7.30am, Gerry (aged in his 70s) and Mary (aged in her 80s) were threatened at knifepoint by a male intruder in the course of a burglary at a house on Boyce’s Street.
The intruder left the scene on foot with a sum of cash.
The siblings were treated at the scene by emergency services. Their injuries are not described as life threatening.
The pair have since been moved to the Mercy Hospital in Cork.
Paramedics launched a GoFundMe in order to recover some of the money lost during the burglary.
“Hi, we are paramedics who are running this GoFundMe in an attempt to return some of Gerry and Mary’s life savings which was stolen from them during a burglary in their home this morning in Cork,” notes a post on the fundraiser page.
“They are an elderly brother and sister and have been deeply traumatised by their experience. They were held at knifepoint in their home for over an hour.
“They are now being treated in the Mercy hospital. It would be great if we could alleviate their financial worries at least. Thank you.”
The initial goal of the fundraiser was €2,000 when it was first launched.
At the time of publishing, the GoFundMe has raised €31,765 across over 1,400 donations, with new contributions being paused for the moment.
Gardaí are appealing for information in relation to the incident and are keen to speak with anyone who was in the vicinity of Boyce’s Street or neighbouring streets on Sunday between 6.30am and 9am who may have witnessed anything.
They are also appealing to any road users with video footage from the Gurranabraher area between those times, to make it available to them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gurranabraher Garda Station on 021 4946200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
The investigation is ongoing.
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