Getty ImagesTypically, a sore head the day after a friend’s stag party is par for the course – but completely forgetting where you parked in an unfamiliar city can cause a different kind of headache.
That’s what happened to one man from County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland, who misplaced his car at a stag do in Cork three weeks ago and 150 miles from home.
Kieran, who shared the story with a Cork radio station in an effort to find his vehicle, said he had visited almost 60 different estates in the city in the weeks since his “nightmare” began.
Thankfully his radio appeal worked, with a listener locating his wine-coloured Skoda Superb a 40-minute walk outside the city centre.
‘Haven’t laid an eye on the car’
Kieran, who was only identified by his first name on the radio, called RedFM’s Neil Prendeville Show on Wednesday morning to explain his predicament.
“I got into Cork late at night and couldn’t find anywhere to park in the city.
“I was fed up, so drove way out towards the south of the city.
“I’m not too sure how far I drove but I parked it up in an estate, and since then I haven’t laid an eye on the car.”
The stag party on the 4 April was his first time having a night out in Cork.
“Sure I met the best people and had great craic,” he told the programme.
‘The stupidest thing I’ve ever done’
But, by Sunday when it was time to go home, he said he couldn’t get his bearings or remember what estate he had parked in.
“One of the boys stayed back with me and we drove around Cork for the guts of five hours looking for this car.
“I’ve put so many hours into trying to find this car, it’s actually the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
“It’s just been a nightmare,” he said.
Kieran told Neil Prendeville that he had been through 59 different estates in the suburbs of Cork, taking note of every single one.
He had been in contact with the gardaí (Irish police) and had checked if the car had been removed and impounded.
“They were very professional,” he said – but could not help him.
Anglesea Street Garda station in Cork told BBC News NI that the car was reported missing, but they could not act because it was not known where the car was located.
They said there was no logical conclusion that a crime had been committed.
“I’m cracking up over it, I want to put this to bed and get on with my life,” he said.
Kieran offered a €200 (£171) reward to anyone who was able to help him locate his car – and, finally, he was in luck.
Within minutes of his plea to the radio programme, a local woman called to say she had spotted the car in an estate in Ballyphehane.
