Sean O'Brien's gesture to Irish nurses working on the coronavirus front line

2017 British and Irish Lions star Sean O’Brien has become the latest rugby player to give accommodation for free to medics on the front line in the fight against the coronavirus. 

Ex-Wales midfielder Jamie Roberts made some positive headlines a few weeks ago by giving his flat in Cardiff up to the health service.

Get the lowdown in the debut episode of Isolation Nation on what your favourite players are up to during the coronavirus pandemic 

“I offered the flat to the NHS and they have managed to get a doctor into it,” he reported at the time. “It is about mobilising resources and I would encourage anyone else who has resources to do the same.”

Now ex-Ireland back row O’Brien, who had been spending his first season in the Gallagher Premiership at London Irish, has earned kudos for the gesture that has seen him give up his Dublin house to two staff nurses. 

Taking to Instagram to show appreciation for O’Brien, who moved from Ireland to England this season following a long career at Leinster, nurse Lydia Caslin wrote: “Just want to give Sean O’Brien a huge shoutout for loaning is his house rent-free during this pandemic. 

“We are staff nurses working together in Dublin. Alannah had to leave her rented accommodation due to working on the front line and I have moved out of my own home for the safety of a family member being immunocompromised.

“It’s people like Sean we need during this crisis. His kindness and generosity have blown us away. There’s a light at the end of this tunnel, friends.”

O’Brien hasn’t been the first Ireland back row to offer up accommodation during the crisis. Robin Copeland, the player capped once by Joe Schmidt in 2014, handed his house in Galway over some weeks ago to Saolta, a health care group comprises hospitals in the Connacht region.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Myself and @alannahmariaxo just want to give @seanobrien678 a huge shoutout for loaning us his house rent free during this pandemic! We are staff nurses working together in Dublin. Alannah had to leave her rented accommodation due to working on the frontline and I have moved out of my own home for the safety of a family member being immunocompromised. It’s people like Sean we need during this crisis. His kindness and generosity has blown us away. There’s a light at the end of this tunnel friends ? xo

A post shared by L Y D I A C A S L I N (@lydiacaslin1) on Apr 2, 2020 at 12:50pm PDT

“I’d just like to say a massive thanks to everyone who retweeted and liked my post last week about the rooms for HSE staff, I have been in touch with a lady from @saoltagroup who is helping to find workers who need such accommodation,” tweeted Copeland.

WATCH: Connacht’s Tiernan O’Halloran takes on Harlequins’ Marcus Smith in the RugbyPass FIFA 20 charity tournament