Hugely successful golf classic held for the late Jack Noonan 

A hugely successful golf classic was held at the Lee Valley Golf and Country Club in Ovens last month in memory of the late Jack Noonan.

The Ballincollig man was a well-known and popular figure among golfing and GAA circles, having been involved with Lee Valley and Ballincollig GAA. The classic raised €31,000 which went towards the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. The cheque presentation took place last Sunday in the Lee Valley clubhouse.

Ciarán Noonan, Jack’s son, has expressed his thanks to so many people who made the golf classic very special.

“My dad passed away in August last year in a hospital in London. When someone dies abroad, you are asking how you're going to get them home. A family member suggested the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. We made contact with them and brought my dad home from London, free of charge.

“A few weeks after the funeral, our family and some of dad's friends got together and decided to do a fundraiser for this organisation because the work they do is unbelievable. At the time of dad's passing, he was the president of Lee Valley Golf Club, so we went with a golf classic. We had two main sponsors, dad's former employers JS McCarthy, and Lee Valley. Having those two on board made a big impact.

“The golf classic itself was held on the 4th of July. We had 60 teams. The event was sold out in about two weeks. The support was fantastic. We had another 60 sponsors, and local businesses here in Ballincollig were very good to us and Ballincollig GAA. The average cost to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust to bring dad home was around €2,000, so raising this €31,000 will help a lot more families that lose loved ones abroad.” 

The cheque presentation to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust was made to the founder of the organisation Colin Bell, who travelled from Down, last weekend in front of a large attendance in Lee Valley.

“In terms of doing stuff for this particular charity, for myself, my family and dad's friends, it’s something that will always be close to our hearts," said Ciarán.

"The support has been unbelievable from people. Below in Ballincollig GAA, there were so many coming in with sponsorship and just being of assistance in any way. People were supporting us from all over the village. The golf classic was a very special day and a great way to remember dad.

“It was a good celebration. The biggest thank you is to Colin Bell for what he has set up in his son's legacy, who passed away abroad. They are the only repatriation charity in the world. There was a committee of eight lads that organised the golf classic, and I don’t want to mention names in case I forget anyone, but thank you so much to all who helped in so many different ways. We might do something different next year.” 

Jack Noonan was one of the good guys and will never be forgotten.