RTÉ Toy Show Appeal raises over €5m for Irish charities

The appeal was inspired by the story of the late Saoirse Ruane, who won the hearts of the nation after her appearance on the show.

Saoirse died in March following a long battle with bone cancer and was laid to rest in her home village of Kiltullagh on Mother’s Day this year.

The response from Late Late Toy Show viewers this year will again "help transform the lives of over one million children, young people and their families in Ireland, with every county on the island benefitting".

This year, over 1.6m people tuned in to watch the festive special, with a record breaking number of streams recorded on the RTÉ Player, as 622,000 viewers tuned in from 139 countries.

Late Late Toy Show host Patrick Kielty expressed his thanks to all who donated for their "huge generosity" this year.

"We have so many projects across the island of Ireland that are going to benefit from this and with Christmas just around the corner, the difference this is going to make to kids and their families all across Ireland is huge. Thank you so much.” 

The donations will be granted to charities under three main areas of support once applications open in January. These include Addressing Essential Needs for the most vulnerable children, Health and Well Being to include therapy and trauma support, with the third category being Creativity and Play.

RTÉ Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst described these funds as "so important" in providing valuable support to many children and families right across the country.

He described the appeal as one of the "most important and impactful things that we do in RTÉ". 

Among those across the country who benefitted from last year’s Toy Show Appeal were Hand in Hand Children’s Cancer Charity in Galway, Limerick Youth Service, Feed Cork, Laois Domestic Abuse Service, Graffiti Theatre Company and Neurodiversity Ireland.

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive, Community Foundation Ireland said the generosity of viewers is passing an "incredible milestone"

"It is the best possible festive story, but its impact on children’s lives will of course continue long after the decorations come down and the lights are switched off,"

While many chosen to donate via the official RTÉ Toy Show Appeal website, the public were also able to donate in-app with official donation partner Revolut Pay. 

Of the €5m raised, over €3.7m was donated via Revolut.

Vlad Yatsenko, Co-Founder & CTO at Revolut, said the appeal is "an important cause", which delivers year after year.

"I’m thrilled with the incredible generosity our customers have shown to such a worthy appeal — with donating made even easier this year with the introduction of Revolut Pay. Every last cent goes directly to children’s charities.”