For Patrick Mohr, a family holiday in Italy took an unhappy turn when his 18-carat wedding ring slipped into a fast-flowing mountain stream. One of his children had caught his hand while they were playing in the water, dislodging the band he had worn for 16 years. While Mohr struggled with the loss, his wife headed downstream to seek help from three young Italians: Filippo Palagi, Nicola Malloggi and Edoardo Poggi.
Although initially doubtful about recovering the ring, the friends embraced a quest inspired by The Lord of the Rings, promising not only to find it but to deliver it to Ireland. Two days of searching with kayaks proved unsuccessful. On the third, they tethered themselves to boulders and used snorkelling equipment to examine a particularly fast-flowing stretch. A glint in the river sand caught Malloggi’s attention; he scooped up a handful and surfaced to discover the gold ring in his palm.
Mohr had continued his holiday and was with his family in Tuscany when a photograph of the recovered ring arrived from an unfamiliar Italian number. To avoid disrupting the rest of his trip, the friends offered to return it personally. They subsequently flew to Ireland, appearing at his home dressed as hobbits and singing songs from the film adaptations. Their welcome included visits to Glendalough, with its 1,000-year-old abbey and lake, and nearby Glenmalure Valley. A visit to a local pub and a traditional Irish dinner rounded off the reunion, along with promises of lasting friendship.
