An online bid at a Meath mart could mean a Christmas romance for a young lady who bravely put herself up for auction for charity.
Jessica Morgan stood in ring one of Carnaross Mart on Monday and waited nervously for bids in the hope of raising funds for Down Syndrome Ireland.
The winning bid of €1,400 was made online by a young farmer and surprised Jessica as she has already been out with him a few times.
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Despite a few trolls online, the 24-year-old received a massive swell of support from lads of all ages who attended the cattle mart this morning.
Happily married farmers and those who missed out on bidding also dug deep and gave generous donations into the collection buckets.
But the winning bid was a gesture of romance for the Ardee, Co Louth girl who has been working in the mart office for the last two years and took up the challenge of putting herself up for auction after being slagged by colleagues.
"I've been single for ages and the lads kept slagging me that I need a man. It was a bit of craic for a good cause, though I was very nervous beforehand in case there were no bids.
"There was a great attendance today with some faces that I haven't seen before.
"We raised a lot of money as well as the online bid, through bucket collections which have yet to be counted so, I'm glad I gave it a go.
"I know the bidder very well," she said coyly, declining to reveal any further details about him.
"I have been out with him a few times in the past but not recently so I was very surprised and happy to see who is taking me out.
"No details of the date have been decided yet but you never know where it could lead!"
Manager Padraig McElroy said that each year, the mart holds a fundraising event but this is probably the most novel yet.
"It was a great reaction. We had so many bids both at the mart and online.
"Jessica was very brave to put herself forward like that in an age of keyboard warriors. She did it for charity and got so much support as she is so well liked. The man who gets to take her out is very lucky."
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