Celebrities' prize possessions

Armani boxer shorts, a Gibson guitar and a copy of the Lisbon Treaty…celebs reveal their most precious possessions.

As this year’s Lent campaign is about people who have been forced to abandon their home because of violence, we’ve been asking celebs and the Irish public what they would do if they were in a similar situation.

Top of the list for TV presenter Caroline Morahan would be her two dogs while broadcaster George Hook said one of the things he would take would be his wife’s jewelry- to trade. Rose of Tralee Aoife Kelly couldn't surive without her mobile phone and  Tony Tormey, Paul from ‘Fair City’, said that personal possessions would become irrelevant if his family was faced with danger although he did say that he needed his contact lenses or he wouldn’t be able to see!

Practical 2FM DJ Ruth Scott put a waterproof sleeping bag at the top of her list because she loves her sleep and having watched many reality survivor shows she knows that sleeping bags that weren’t waterproof were the ruination of many a contestant! Someone who knows all about this is Esther Rantzen, who took part in the 2008 ‘I’m a celebrity…get me out of here’ show. Esther included her kids school reports on her list.

TV presenter Mark Cagney said that an essential for him would be his ipod with 100GB of music which has taken years to accumulate while Anthony Daly, the Dublin hurling manager, included the kids Nintendo’s and tinned food on his list.

‘Some of the answers were quite surprising!’ admitted Justin Kilcullen, Trócaire’s director. ‘There were some obvious items like pictures of family which figured highly in a lot of the responses, practical items like food, first aid supplies and so on. What we weren’t expecting were items like a framed picture of Enda Kenny! This has been a light-hearted way of getting people to think about the reality that 26 million face around the world everyday. This Lent Trócaire is trying to raise €11million to help the world's poorest people, many of whom have had their lives torn apart by violence and are desparately trying to rebuild their lives.

Here are the Celebrities five choices.

Celebrities Five Choices

Ruth Scott, 2fm DJ

1. I’m a terribly practical person so I’d probably bring a waterproof sleeping bag. I love my sleep & have watched many reality survivor style programmes where a sleeping bag not being waterproof was the ruination of a person!

2. Second, I’d bring along my mini first aid kit.

3. I’m going to cheat slightly with this one & bring a book with a picture of my family as a bookmark.

4. A wind up torch/radio/phone charger that I got in a petrol station promotion last year. Can you imagine just how fantastically useful that would be?!

5. Finally I’d have to throw in a few high energy bars to keep the energy up along the way.

Mark Cagney, TV3

1. I grabbed my wallet and credit cards, figuring that if the house went up in smoke, the insurance would take care of everything long term, but short term stuff like hotel/B&B, new clothes etc would be a real problem if I had to wait for replacements from the bank.

2. I/we don’t have anything really valuable in the house, at least nothing I’d risk my life for. I do have a collection of guitars, some of which are vintage and are appreciating in value so I’d try to get as many of those out as I could , but if I could only save one it would be a black Gibson 335 which is my favourite (although its not the rarest/most valuable)

3. There is a black leather jacket (now nearly 30 years old) which my first wife bought for me, and which has huge sentimental value, and a pair of R.M.Williams boots I’ve had for 14 years, which have been everywhere with me, from the jungles of northern Nicaragua to the Kimberly’s in Australia.

4. Car keys

5. My iPod, I have a Classic with 100 gigs of music on it, which has taken me years to accumulate, so at least we’d have music!

Caroline Morahan.

“After family, the first thing I would run to protect are my two dogs. On the possessions front, I would take my passport so I would have the freedom to travel and be identified as an Irish citizen.

I would bring my laptop (or a memory stick containing as many files as possible) as so much of my life and work are contained in it. Pictures of loved ones, especially those who are not with me anymore, are very special to me. Really the only material object I place any true value on is a ring I inherited from my Great Aunt Bridie.”

Gerald Kean

1. My insulin (as a diabetic, this keeps me alive!)

2. My contact lenses (in the event that my glasses break as my eyesight is poor).

3. A few pairs of my new Armani boxer shorts! (I wont go into the reasons why these might be required).

4. Food and water (including Lucozade in case I suffer from low sugar levels as a result of my diabetic condition).

5. A picture of my daughter Kirsten and my partner Lisa

Louis Copeland(Tailor)

1.My phone

2. A bike

3. Never go anywhere without my measure tape

4. Clean pair of jocks and socks.

5. and ….a prayer book

George Hook

1. Canteen of Cutlery - To Trade.

2. Socks & Boxers.

3. Coffee Mug.

4. ATM Card

5. Ingrid's Jewelry - To Trade"

Lucinda Creighton T.D. (Dublin South East) Fine Gael

1. My ipod so that I could listen to my Leonard Cohen albums, which always cheer me up

2. My passport, in case I would have to leave the country

3. The picture of Enda Kenny which I keep on the mantlepiece

4. My copy of the Lisbon Treaty

5. My toothbrush

Esther Rantzen

"The five things I would save are my children's reports, my David Hockney print of pretty tulips, an oil painting my grandmother left me, a vase my best friend gave me, and a photograph of my mother and her sister in fancy dress.

Tony Tormey (Paul in ‘Fair City’)

"In considering the prospect of losing one's home to violent aggressors my focus quickly narrows to the survival and safety of my family. In these circumstances personal possessions become irrelevant to the task at hand,

1. my wallet in order to buy food and shelter for the family

2.my mobile phone in order to contact friends and family and seek help

3.a bag of clothes

4.passports in case the situation requires us to leave the country

5. My contact lenses or else I could not see what I'm running from or where I'm running to

Anthony Daly, Dublin senior hurling manager

1. Passport

2. Mobile phone

3. Wallet  with cash and cards

4. Kid's nintendos

5. Some tinned food