All About Cork: Cork charities benefit from Darragh Ryan tractor run

Two Cork charities have been presented with more than €15,000 each, the proceeds of a charity tractor and truck run held in Ballincollig in December in memory of the late Darragh Ryan.

Darragh was 23 years of age and in his final year of college when he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of liposarcoma cancer in May, 2022.

During the eight months that Darragh was ill, his family became acutely aware of the work of organisations such as Breakthrough Cancer Research, and they were grateful for the help of Cork ARC Cancer Support House.

Wanting to raise funds for those charities in Darragh’s name, his family hit upon the idea of a tractor run, which had an initial fundraising target of €15,000. However, eventually it raised more than twice that amount.

The run took place in early December, and two weekends ago, at Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium, Darragh’s family and friends presented matching cheques for €15,545 each to Breakthrough Cancer Research and Cork ARC Cancer Support House.

Darragh’s dad, Colman, told The Echo he wanted to thank everyone who had assisted on the day, saying: “We truly couldn’t have done it without their support.”

“Our thanks also go out to all the participants and spectators, as well as the wonderful community in Ballincollig, the gardaí and the organisers as well,” Mr Ryan said.

“A big thank you to Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium for allowing us to use their facilities and for their support, and to Two Wheel Training for use for their facilities for refreshments.

“We are deeply grateful to our sponsors and every person who generously contributed to our two amazing charities,” Mr Ryan said.

“We are truly thankful for the overwhelming support we’ve received.”

Mr Ryan said Darragh’s family and friends were delighted that “no-one seemed put out that we blocked up Ballincollig on December 8” and he said there were plans afoot to have another run later this year.

“There was such a turn-out that we’ll have to do something again,” Mr Ryan said.

Toy Library reopens

Ballincollig’s Toy Library reopens this Friday, February 7, after taking a well-earned break over Christmas and the new year.

The library offers a wide range of toys for loan, with items ranging from puzzles, board games, and educational toys to action figures, farm animals, dinosaurs, puppets, ride-on toys, and baby toys.

Toys are loaned for one month, but anyone wishing to extend that period can do so for up to three months.

The library charges a one-off €2 joining fee per family, and this goes toward maintenance of the toys. The Toy Library is usually open at midday on the first Friday of every month, in the Carraig Centre, Old Fort Road, P31PV20. All are welcome. For further details see www.carraigcentre.ie or email katie20gould@gmail.com

Maxol raises ‘PAWsome’ €155k

Carrigrohane-based Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind has announced that its charity partner Maxol has raised more than €155,000 from its ‘PAWsome’ fund-raising campaign.

All proceeds will be going to support the work of Irish Guide Dogs and its sister charity, Guide Dogs Northern Ireland.

The money raised will help to fund the training and care of three guide or assistance dogs across the island of Ireland.

In return for its support, Maxol has already been given the honour of naming two of the dogs, giving them their own identity, while the third is due to be named by the team at Maxol Dooradoyle in Limerick, as a result of the staff there raising the most funds over the duration of the campaign so far.

The campaign, which launched last year, has seen thousands of ‘PAWsome’ car fresheners sold so far, with all proceeds going towards Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind and Guide Dogs Northern Ireland.

Pyke Theatre social evening

Members of Ballincollig’s Pyke Theatre Group would like to wish all of their friends and patrons a belated but very happy new year, and remind them that the group’s monthly social evening returns next Tuesday, February 11, at Ballincollig Rugby Club, in Tanner Park, starting at 8.30pm.

The social evenings always offer a great night of music, dance, story, and song. Tea and sandwiches will be served, and admission is free. All are welcome, so if you are attending, the organisers ask that you please bring a friend. There will be a raffle held on the night.

Strong showing for walks

Ballincollig GAA Club’s weekly ‘Ireland Lights Up’ walks continue to draw a good turn-out, with a strong showing from juvenile members and their parents. The walks will continue for the next few Wednesdays, starting at 7.30pm at the club dressing rooms.

For those unable to make the walks, there is still plenty of time to sign up to the Irish Life MyLife app for the ‘Every Step Counts’ challenge, which runs separately.

Just download the app and register with Ballincollig GAA under the Munster Challenge.

Walk and talk group

Every Wednesday, the Family Resource Centre hosts a walk and talk group. Starting at 10am at the resource centre reception area, the group is open to all, and welcomes people of all levels of fitness, with a focus each week on social interaction. For further information, call 021-4876295, or email info@ballicolligfrc.org.

Marie Keating mobile unit

The Ballincollig Resource Centre is set to host a visit from the Marie Keating mobile unit on Tuesday, February 18, from 10.30am to 3.30pm. All are welcome to speak with one of the specialist-trained nurses.

Founded 23 years ago, the Marie Keating Foundation’s key role is to promote life-saving messages on cancer prevention and early detection to as many people as possible.

The Marie Keating Foundation offers a free service, but no cancer screening is provided.

No winner of lottery jackpot

The numbers drawn in the Ballincollig GAA Club weekly lottery, which was held on Thursday, January 30, were 7, 30, 33, and 36.

While there was no winner of the €7,800 jackpot, there were three consolation prize winners, with €100 going to Eoin Cleary, €50 to the O’Connell family, and €50 to John Connaughton.

The club is migrating its club lottery from its previous host to its club platform ClubZap.

The new system mirrors the previous one and is played with 36 numbers, and all existing players with remaining credit have been moved across with their same numbers plus their remaining credits.

For further information, see ballincolliggaa.clubzap.com.

The next draw is scheduled to place on Thursday evening, February 6, with the jackpot now standing at €8,000. For details, see the club’s social media pages.

Have Ballincollig news to share? Contact donal.okeeffe@theecho.ie