This article is from page 4 of the 2012-10-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THE Canadian dentist who spent the last month searching Ireland for a mystery Clare woman says he has no regrets, even as he returns to Canada alone.
Sandy Crocker arrives back in Canada later today after his month-long love crusade to find the girl he met in Ennistymon for just five minutes in 2011.
Over the last month, Sandy has been contacted by two women who believed they might have been his “Ennistymon girl” but sadly neither turned out to be the right person.
Sandy’s story was first published in The Clare People on September 18, but went on to be picked up by thousands of media outlets across the globe, including Time Magazine , ABC News in the US and the BBC.
Speaking to The Clare People yesterday, Sandy thanks the people of Clare for all their support over the last four weeks.
“I left Ireland thrilled with having received such a warm reception and so much support from everyone. Even without ever finding the girl, I claimed success by having come here and done my best to find her,” he said. “The attention this story garnered was greater than even expected. I was overwhelmed by the sincerity of everyone in Ireland who helped me in my search. I did feel uncomfortable with the global coverage at first, but with the majority of followers understanding the simply kind gesture of this journey, I grew to be at ease.
“In the very beginning, I knew that by at least making the effort to find the girl, whatever the end result was, I would be able to happily move on. Given how popular the story has become, I’m sure people will not allow me to forget my ‘Ennistymon girl’ and my eventful return to Ireland.”
Sandy met his ‘Ennistymon girl’ in An Teach Bia in Ennistymon on July 9, 2012. He describes her as being in her mid- to late-20’s with freckles and redish-brown hair. He spoke to her briefly before she left the cafe but realised too late that he might have met the love of his life.