Ruah empties his money box for Native American tribes

MORE than 170 years after an American Indian tribe were moved by the suffering of the Irish in the Great Famine, a Mayo schoolboy is repaying the kindness in his own small way.

Back then, the Choctaw tribe, despite their own poverty, donated $170 (worth around €4,500 in today's money) after elders were appalled to hear of the suffering of people in Ireland.

Six-year-old Ruah Conlon (pictured) from Knock was discussing the difficulties faced by Native Americans today as a result of the Covid crisis following a radio interview mum Alma had listened to.

A GoFundMe page for the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation has raised nearly $3 million to date, with many of those donations coming from Irish people who have never forgotten the great kindness shown to the country.

After hearing how generous the Choctaw had been to the Irish, when they themselves had very little, Ruah decided to return the favour and give them all the coins he had been collecting.

Not only has Ruah, who is in junior infants in Gaelscoil Uileog de Burca in Loughanemon, emptied his money box, he and younger sister Maya have been putting together a care package that they also want to send to the Choctaw people, mum Alma explained.

The care package consists of colouring books, pencils, toppers and two teddies, which he convinced his two-and-a-half-year-old sister to give.

He's been busy counting the money to see how much he's collected to give and his parents, Alma and Michael, have agreed to match whatever he is giving, and the call for donations probably won't stop there.

Ruah has always been a conscientious little boy. Before the family moved back to their Mayo roots in 2018, his mammy was involved with homeless charity Depaul in Dublin and every Christmas he would give something to 'the boys and girls who had nothing', as he used to describe it.

Kindness shines out at an early age.