An Post paints local postbox gold for Olympic champion Kellie Harrington

A postbox just a few minutes from where Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington grew up has been painted gold in honour of the boxer's achievement.

Outside the Summerhill post office, locals passed by to see the postbox which has been transformed from green into gold by An Post as a tribute to Harrington and her community. It is a short distance from the boxer's Portland Row family home in Dublin's north inner city.

An Post said it hoped the transformation was "bringing a little bit of Tokyo gold to Dublin's currently most famous streets".

“Extending the celebrations from Portland Row to our Summerhill postbox. Sending love to Kellie in Tokyo,” An Post said in a Twitter post.

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The postbox itself reads: “Congratulations Kellie. Send celebration. Send triumph. Send love.”

Social media users shared photos of the postbox, describing it as a “nice touch” and thanking An Post for going “above and beyond” to celebrate the achievements of Irish Olympians.

An Post last week dedicated a gold box to Cork rowers Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, who won gold in the lightweight men’s double sculls final.

A spokesman for An Post said the postboxes on Market Street in Cork were a popular place for most people to do their post business.

“Where better to celebrate Paul and Fintan’s fantastic efforts than by turning those post boxes gold,” he said.

Potato delivery

Meanwhile, a Kilkenny man who dropped off a bag of potatoes from his farm to the Harrington family while in Dublin for the All-Ireland hurling semi-final on Sunday says the boxer’s success has given people a lift after a tough time during the pandemic.

John Crowley (59), of Suirside Farm Potatoes near Mooncoin, delivered the bag of Queen’s to Harrington’s brother, Joel, who he told was receiving a “present from a farmer in Mooncoin...and from the people of Kilkenny.”

“Some people put things in brown envelopes — I give bags of potatoes,” he said. “I have a little note in it with a letter of congratulations to Kellie and a few personal comments — she comes across as a terrific person in the ring and in the interviews.”

His potatoes are not new to the area, having used them to secure spaces from “unofficial parking attendants” while on his way to Kilkenny matches over the decades.

“I’ve been bringing spuds to Summerhill with 30 years because the people there look after the car for me when I’m at the match,” he says. “I have huge admiration for the people that live there, they’re salt of the earth and they’ve a lovely, loyal and tight knit community from what I’ve seen over the years.”