Secret Millionaire helps out Cork communities

Despite initially being uncomfortable with the title ‘Secret Millionaire’, Nadim Sadek says he has forged lasting relationships with some of the people he met during the filming of the Cork show, broadcast this week.

In the programme, which was shown on RTÉ on Monday, Nadim Sadek went undercover in Cork as a journalist writing a book about charities but ended up donating €30,000 to the Knocknaheeney Music Project, €5000 to the Rebel Rollers and €500 to Cois Tine. 

The marketing millionaire, who lives on his private island Inish Turk Beg in Co. Mayo, visited Cois Tine, the Knocknaheeney Music Project, Rebel Rollers and the Penny Dinners during his eight days living off Shandon Street. 

“I had watched the show on Channel Four and there were things I did not like about it. 

"They make out the millionaire to be a God like figure, who strolls into an area, flashes a chequebook and makes everything OK. 

"Also, I accept that people could be emotional but I didn’t want to have to force people to cry and be eternally grateful.” 

When Mr Sadek agreed to do the show, he did so with the proviso that if he didn’t see any project that he deemed worthy of investment, he wouldn’t be obliged to. “I just wandered around a bit, I noticed one project through a flyer in the newsagents and through meeting people on the street and in the pub, you soon find out what is happening around the place.”

Amazing

He said that the four organisations stood out for different reasons and the hardest part of the job was working out how much to give the various groups. He initially rejected the idea of Cois Tine because of its religious background but other factors came into play. 

“Cois Tine do a lot of their work through music and the range of services they provide for people is amazing. None of the people there particularly want to be there, their freedom is in jeopardy. 

"I met one person who was in a container for three months with only tomatoes to eat. He arrived in Ireland, was dumped on the Naas dual carriageway and told to run for his life. He now plays a really positive role in Cois Tine. If Cois Tine wasn’t supported by the church and some way stable, I would have given them more money.”

Fr Angelo Lafferty of Cois Tine said at first they were suspicious, as asylum seekers are often painted in a negative light. They thought Mr Sadek was a photojournalist making a coffee table book on voluntary organisations in Cork.

“The programme captured the essence of what is happening in Cois Tine. Cois Tine is all about supporting ordinary human beings who just happen to be Africans. Personally, I am glad, and relieved, that ‘The Secret Millionaire’ conveyed our work in a positive way. The money too is very welcome, Cois Tine receives less than €5,000 funding from the State annually."

Mr Sadek also had high praise for the work of Penny Dinners, to which, however, he did not give money. 

“The Penny Dinners have been there since the famine, I could not respect the work they do more. It is an amazing organisation, they do not judge people, and it is a place of refuge. The reason I did not give them any money is they have been there for 170 years, they are not under any threat or danger.”

Florence Harrison of Cork Penny Dinners told the Cork Independent that the charity was thrilled with the publicity. “We were delighted to have featured at all. The other charities that received the money are struggling. We are perhaps in a better position,” she said.

Mr Sadek donated a whopping €30,000 to Knocknaheeney Music Project, €5,000 to Cois Tine and €5,000 to Rebel Wheelers.

It was the project in Knocknaheeney that really grabbed his attention. “The group caters for youths between 18 and 25, before that they used to be either drinking or fighting. They were going nowhere and Bob (Seward) gives them second, third, fifth chances. It is a real life version of 'The Commitments', all inside a portakabin. It’s amazing.”