This article is from page 6 of the 2008-05-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
TWO Clare fundraisers have set themselves a target of €5,000 for St Luke’s Hospital, Dublin, in the Reeks Challenge.
The reeks are those famous McGil- lycuddy mountains in Kerry and the challenge is to climb four of them on Sunday, May 25, a most appropriate choice of date since it’s the feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ).
The latest examples of great Clare tradition of volunteerism are Jim McMahon of Ennis and Kerry na- tive, Chris Whittencome who now lives in Tulla.
Jim told the attendance at a func- tion to launch the fundraising in the Ennis Adult and Community Educa- tion Centre, Clonroad Business Park, that he was motivated dually: by the death of his father, Brendan (Lahi- nch Road), from cancer a year ago, and his own brush with a form of the disease in his early 20s.
Wheels Within Wheels Motorbike Project was the catalyst for the Ennis event, presenting a Bike Night of in- formation on building bikes, racing,
grasstrack racing, motocross and the like, all inspired and got together by another McMahon, Jacko from Mar- ian Avenue, Ennis, himself a formi- dable fundraiser for various causes.
Enthusiastically hosting the occa- sion was the Education Officer of Clare Vocational Education Com- mittee, Dr Sean Conlan (latterly the head of Clare Adult and Com- munity Education Service) and a dedicated biker for 30 years when a priest friend gave him a motorcycle that would take him to Dublin and Maynooth for his initial third-level lectures.
There too to lend their support to the Reeks Climb campaign were the chairman of Clare Vocational Education Committee, Cllr. Tommy Brennan, along with fellow Town Cllr Johnny Flynn and County Cllr Pat Daly, something that was deeply appreciated by the St Luke’s cam- paigners.