Tag Archives: West Clare Cancer Centre

WITH the 25th West Clare Mini Marathon set for January 29 in Kilkee, Willie and Mary McGrath, the driving force behind its main beneficiary, reflected on how the event has developed since humble beginnings in 1999. That year’s event, organised by the McGraths and others saw fewer than 25 people take part, bringing in £7,394 for the West Clare Cancer Centre. “It was trial and error to see would a mini marathon in West Clare work on the last Sunday in January, which is maybe not the best time of the year!” Willie laughs.  On the night of January 31, 1999, no one was expecting the fundraiser to still be going in 2023, but Willie said the first mini marathon had been a success and people wanted it to happen again. “From the first event, on that Sunday evening it looked as if it might go somewhere. The feedback was beginning. People were asking why runners? Why not accommodate walkers …

IT has emerged that the West Clare Cancer Centre never received a financial boost of just over €12,000 that was expected to come to it, following a payment from TD Violet Anne Wynne to Rural Resettlement Ireland (RRI) over two years ago. The Sinn Féin TD made the payment to RRI to resolve an underpayment of rent and at the time representatives of RRI said it would be given to the West Clare Cancer Centre. However, it is now understood that due to a clause in its constitution, RRI could only transfer the money to another housing body. None was identified, and with the company having since gone into liquidation, its remaining assets are to be distributed by its liquidator. It is also understood that the West Clare Cancer Centre was not made aware of why the payment had not been made, nor was Ms Wynne. An article in last week’s Clare Champion stated that Ms Wynne had made a …

THE West Clare Cancer Centre will be hosting its annual mini marathon fundraiser over the course of next weekend, writes Conor Clohessy. As was the case last year, it will be held virtually and while the event which has raised over €5 million in its time is usually run off on the last Sunday of every January, this year participants have the 29th and 30th to do their 10km in their own time. Organiser Willie McGrath said: “We ran the marathon virtually last year as well, and found it was a huge success. Going forward, it might be the way to do it; but having said that, we’re still hoping that by next year restrictions will be lifted. We’ll be celebrating 25 years, and it would be lovely to think that we could bring the crowds back to Kilkee.” Funds from the mini marathon have facilitated the construction of palliative care suites with en-suite assisted facilities in West Clare, such …

THE lock-down has certainly be put to good use by a eight branches of a West Clare family, whose membership extends from the Loop Head Peninsula all the way to San Francisco. Over the month of April, the Keane Family Challenge has seen more than 40 members take part in all kinds of fitness and sporting activities to raise over than €2,000 for the West Clare Cancer Centre in Kilkee. The mastermind of the fitness and fund-raising challenge is Johnny Doris of Portarlington. He is the grandson of Kathleen and John Keane, of Keane’s Pub in Carrigaholt. Their eight children include Johnny’s mother Bridget Doris, now based in County Laois, and her twin sister Mary Greene, who lives north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Johnny’s uncles Dominic and John Keane live in the US where they have been immersed in the challenge, as have his godmother Kathleen Foley of Foley’s Pub in Cross, and Mags and Pakie Keane …

MONICA Stirling, who lives in Mullagh, has had a book of poetry published, somewhat against her will. Musings and Memories contains more than 70 poems, all written by Monica, who has been encouraged by Kilmurry-Ibrickane Active Retirement Group chairperson, Helen McGrath, to publish her work. “I’ve been writing for years but most of them were under the bed and scattered around the house. And a lot of them have gone out in the rubbish,” Monica laughed. Musings and Memories is Monica’s first collection of poetry. “The active retirement group have been after me for a couple of years to put them together in book form. I was reluctant but they decided they’d get on with it themselves. There are 70-plus poems in it. They have been up and down for few days, trying to fit them in,” the retired nurse explained. Monica and her husband, Bill, lived in Zambia for many years. She spent a year there in 1964/1965, before …