Ali's visit evokes Baghdad memories for Corofin nurse

THE upcoming visit of Mohammad Ali to Clare this September has brought memories of a chance meeting with the boxing legend, while being held hostage in Iraq, flooding back to a County Galway woman.Peggy Higgins, a nurse from Corofin, was working in a compound in Baghdad from 1987-1991, and in the lead up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991, was a 'hostage’ in the country.Peggy, who now works in the dialysis unit at Merlin Park Hospital, was one of thousands of mainly Americans and Europeans prohibited by Saddam Hussein from leaving the country –many were effectively being used as a 'human shield’ by the tyrant to deter military action from the international community.Despite being a hostage, Peggy and others were encouraged to go about their daily lives 'as normal’, which she did, working away, running to keep fit and playing music.Peggy has a keen interest in marathon running, and when word filtered through that Mohammad Ali was going to be in Baghdad – and would meet with the winner of the 1990 Baghdad International Marathon – she entered the race.With the chance of meeting a living legend on offer, the Corofin nurse ran faster than a younger Ali punched his opponents’ lights out ... and won. “I certainly ran as fast as my legs could carry me when I heard the winner would meet Muhammad Ali,” recalls Peggy.“It was great to meet Ali and have photographs taken with him. We talked about the race, my work here and about my marathon running – he was very nice.“Ali was...