Joy as precious lost ring found at Laois service station

A kind person who handed in a ring they found in a Laois service station, has made a passing driver very happy.

Evelyn Quinlan from Cork was "extremely upset" last Saturday, May 31 when she lost a beautiful ring that was special to her, in the Applegreen at the Maldron motorway service in Portlaoise.

"We live in Cork, we were travelling to Cavan for a wedding and stopped to charge our car at the Applegreen in the south of Portlaoise town. I left it in the bathroom by accident," she explained to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

When she went back in to the bathroom, it had vanished.

Evelyn enquired immediately but the Applegreen staff told her it had not been handed in.

Initially contacting the Leinster Express / Laois Live that day in hopes of finding her ring, Evelyn had said "this ring is of great sentimental value and I am extremely upset to have lost it," she said.

The silver ring has pale blue mother-of-pearl inlays.

She explained what is special about the pretty ring.

"It is of sentimental value for me because I bought it many years ago in Leenane village in Connemara, while on a family holiday. It just felt so right on my finger, fit me perfectly, and I have worn it to lots of family occasions, it is always admired and always reminds me of great times we’ve had together," Evelyn said.

The story then took a lucky twist on their return journey home to Cork, as Evelyn explained days later.

"When we stopped to charge our car on our return trip, and realised that we were in the same place I’d lost it, I went in and asked again. They had it! My faith in humanity is restored, and I have my very precious ring back. I am delighted. 

"It was pure chance that we stopped at the same Applegreen to charge; we hadn’t realised it was the same place until we pulled in. I thought I’d give it a shot to ask about it.

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"I was really amazed and delighted to get it back, especially as the Applegreen initially told me it hadn’t been handed in.

I am very grateful to the kind person who handed it in. If you find something you don’t know the value of the lost item to the person who lost it. So I would like to say a big thank you. it’s not very valuable in monetary terms, but it has great sentimental value, which is much more important," a happy Evelyn said.