GAA clubs all over the country are to join forces for a major fundraiser to help a Killarney teenager seriously injured in an accident last summer.
16-year-old Ian O’Connell suffered damage to his neck and spine after falling from his bicycle in Killarney National Park in August. He is currently paralysed from the shoulders down.
Ian has been recuperating in hospital for the past eight months and is currently undergoing extensive therapy in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire.
Brave and determined to overcome whatever obstacles come in his way, the sports-mad St Brendan’s College student returned home for a short break for St Patrick’s Day and his pals guided his wheelchair through the streets as he paraded with his beloved Spa GAA Club.
It has now emerged that the 2018 All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge, regarded as the quintessential tournament to accompany the All-Ireland senior football and hurling championships, will be a fundraiser for Ian and his family.
Club teams from all over the country will participate in the two-day shootout in Concra Wood and Nuremore Golf Clubs in Monaghan on August 24 and 25. Teams of four will contribute €200 per player and the tournament is open to all members of the GAA.
Ian was nominated as a beneficiary by MEP and former GAA President, Seán Kelly, and the event is receiving great support from some of the big stars and great clubs in the game.
The premier golf competition has built up support among several GAA luminaries over the last 19 years, including legendary Kilkenny hurler Eddie Keher, Dublin footballer Barney Rock and sports broadcaster Marty Morrissey.
Waterford hurling manager Derek McGrath, one of the organising committee members, remarked: “Ian has a serious fight on his hands but he is a very resolute young man with brilliant parents behind him and brilliant support from his GAA club”.
The organisers are hoping to make a tangible asset – such as a specially adapted vehicle – available to Ian and his family and they are hoping to raise over €30,000
In a message to the event organisers from his hospital bed, Ian said: “I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thanks so much to everyone involved in the All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
© KillarneyToday.com: Your quality, reliable, 24/7 local news service. To advertise call 087-2229761 or email news@killarneytoday.com
