Golf classic raises €78k

ORGANISERS of the country’s first week-long golf classic were able to hand over a cheque for €78,000 to two motor neurone disease organisations at the weekend thanks to the success of the project.

The handover took place at Dundrum House Hotel in Co Tipperary when the Cashel fundraising committee presented €40,000 to Professor Orla Hardiman for the Motor Neurone Research Foundation and €38,000 to Maeve Reeve of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The two organisations provide services, support and care to MND patients and their families all over Ireland and also carry out intensive research into the disease.

About 250 people in Ireland are suffering from the extremely debilitating disease at any one time and it affects speaking, swallowing, walking, breathing and all general movement in the body, eventually leading to patients becoming completely paralysed and requiring 24-hour care.

The IMNDA provides specialised nursing advice, support and vital equipment to MND families all over Ireland.

The money was raised through a number of events, with the main item a golf classic held in Dundrum House Hotel in August.

While 220 teams entered the six-day classic, 600 people attended a benefit night bringing the total for the week to €70,000. The remaining €8,000 was donated by the Dualla Ploughing Association.

The event was the brainchild of three families in Cashel who found themselves having to come to terms with family members — the McCormacks, O’Connors and Reades — suffering from motor neurone disease.