Sexy farmers do their bit for charity

Battle lines are being drawn in nine East Clare parishes as 10 contestants with the gift of the gab prepare to launch a successful bid for the coveted new title of “Sexiest East Clare Farmer”.

 

People from all over East Clare are expected to flock to the Powerhouse Bar, Tulla, on December 29 at 9pm for what has all the ingredients of an entertaining personality contest, which is a novel fundraiser for The National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght.

The contestants, who are a mixture of married and single East Clare farmers, will be expected to outline their farming credentials including size of land holdings, development potential, scale of enterprise and their non-farming attributes during the no holds barred interviews.

It is believed that Tallaght Hospital head of fundraising, Ciara O’Grady and her colleague Evelyn McMahon are single and may be on the look out for an eligible East Clare farmer.

Regardless of how much money each contestant raises for the hospital, this eagle-eyed duo will choose the winner who will scoop the much sought after sash, crown and, more importantly, bragging rights over rival parishes.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Dark Horse, while patrons will also be served finger food with plenty of prizes on offer.

The ten brave contestants who have put themselves forward for what promises to be a hilarious grilling include Henry Hayes, Feakle; Alan Farrell, O’Callaghan’s Mills; John Hogan, Tulla; John Minogue, Whitegate; Colin Molloy, Bodyke; Damien Murphy, Crusheen; Cathal Nash, Scariff; Niall Bugler, Killanena; Willie O’Brien, Tulla and Michael Daffy, Clooney.

All the contestants are expected to raise at least €300 but will probably exceed this target on the night.

This event is the brainchild of well-known Tulla farmer Mathew Corry, from Tyreda, who has raised in the region of €24,000 for the hospital over the last three years.

“All the focus is on providing a fun social night out for East Clare people during the Christmas period and at the same time raise money for this worthy cause,” he explained.

Councillor Pat Burke, Tulla farmer and ambulance driver, Peadar Greene and the contestants are just some of the people who have generously volunteered their time and assistance for this worthy cause.

Having spotted an advertisement in The Farmers’ Journal to participate in fund-raising treks for Tallaght Hospital, Mathew wanted to make his contribution to the worthy cause.

He appreciated the importance of raising money for a children’s hospital after one of his family members received treatment in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children a few years ago.

Back in 2009, he was supposed to collect €4,500 following a charity trek to the Great Wall of China, but ended up with an impressive €14,500.

A year later it was off to Camino de Santiago in Spain and he recently returned from a 10-day charity trip to Peru as part of a 20-strong group with United Kingdom-based adventurers Action Challenge.

Half of the group were on the trip raising money for Tallaght Hospital and the main challenge was climbing to the top of the world-famous 15th-century Incan site Machu Picchu.

“It was tough going at times. We had to be up at 5.30am for the start of the trek at 7am. The scenery at Machu Picchu was breathtaking,” he recalled.

Mathew was the only farmer who participated in this trek and he was also one of the ten members who reached the top of another nearby peak.

Although there were some steel railings and steps in some parts of the ascent, this difficult challenge was similar to climbing a sheer rock face for parts of the climb.

An eight kilometre fun run around Tulla, starting at 12 noon on December 29, will act as the curtain-raiser to the main event. A portion of the proceeds from the run will be donated to the Mid-West Suicide and Prevention Centre, Pieta House.

People throughout East Clare also have the opportunity to support an associated darts charity tournament on December 9 in the Powerhouse Bar.