A night out with friends ended in misery for a city man when his specially designed bicycle was stolen from outside a nightclub at the weekend.
Liam Cullinane, who has difficulty walking since contracting meningitis while living in Scotland in 1993, depends on the three-wheeled bicycle to get around, says his friend, Nancy Roe.
“His bicycle was stolen from outside Halo nightclub on Upper Abbeygate Street last Friday night between 2.40am and 3am. It was locked and was last seen being dragged down Dominick Street. CCTV footage shows two girls dragging it away from the club. We have heard nothing since. We don’t know if it was dumped in the canal or if someone took it because they thought it was valuable.”
The bicycle, which has two front wheels and one at the back, is the only one of its kind in Ireland. It was custom made in the UK and cost Liam, who comes from a well known city publican family, about €4,000, she says.
“We are appealing for its return. It is a very unusual bicycle. It would take months and cost a lot to get another one. There were quite a lot of people around when he discovered it had gone missing so we are hoping that someone saw something and will help us get it back. People can contact me at (086 ) 6670180 or leave a message anonymously if they know anything about it.
“Liam is totally dependent on others right now to get him around or taxis which are very expensive. He can walk very slowly with sticks but it is a terrific effort for him.”
He has had other bicycles stolen from him in the past also, says Nancy who lives in Roscam.
Liam, who spent years with the French Foreign Legion, stunned medical experts by his recovery since being diagnosed with meningitis, she says. He was living in Scotland when he became ill. He was in a coma for a month and was told he would never walk again.
“He has done absolute miracles since and has improved so much.”
