A bar stool from an Offaly pub with a Honda engine is touring Ireland for charity
D'island to the Island Honda 50 Barstool Run now taking place
A bar stool from an Offaly pub with a Honda engine on it is touring the country in a bid to raise funds for a worthy cause.
"D'island to the Island Honda 50 Barstool run" involves a group of lads and ladies who left Walsh Island in Offaly on Thursday morning last, some on Honda bikes, heading for Sligo and then the hills of Donegal.
From there the group will travel out to Arranmore Island, with several stops along the way to raise money for Down Syndrome Ireland.
Accompanying the trekkers along the way is a Honda 50 barstool, yes a barstool with a Honda 50 engine.
This was built in 1988 by Noel Duffy and had its first outing in the Clara parade on St Patrick’s day in 1988.
All funds raised will go directly to Down Syndrome Ireland. You can donate here https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/Honda50Barstoolrun
The motorised bar stool made headlines and drew the attention of an RTE 'Evening Extra' show in 1988 - it was all in good fun and represented all that light-hearted magic of a novelty news piece.
However, when RTE's 30th anniversary revisit for the Today Show With Maura and Daithi in 2018 was nostalgic, it was also bittersweet as it told the tragic story of the bar stool's inventor.
Noel Duffy was the man who promised he could "put an engine into anything" in the mid-80s and was true to his word as he stuck one in a bar stool for a St. Patrick's Day parade.
Following their 15 minutes of fame, Noel and his girlfriend, Madaleine Flint got married and were living together when Noel was involved in a quad bike accident and was found dead.
The Walsh Island woman later re-married in England and upon moving back to Ireland, bought Hopper's Bar with her husband Paul, the very spot with Noel had unveiled his bar stool to RTE