Offaly GAA Club plan ambitious memorial fundraising cycle to Wexford

RAHEEN GAA Club, Offaly have planned an ambitious memorial fundraising cycle to Wexford on Sunday, April 24.

The cycle is a memorial to very popular Cloneygowan brother and sister, Emmett and Yvonne O'Connor, whose sudden deaths in recent years devastated and shocked the local community and Raheen GAA club – Emmett died suddenly in Australia in 2019 after attending a local Australian Football game while Yvonne also died suddenly, at her Cloneygowan home, in 2020. Both were very keen Offaly and Raheen GAA supporters.

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Their deaths were a devastating blow to their parents, Owen and Julie and sister Michelle and friends and locals gave them vital support at that time. Owen is a long serving member of Raheen GAA Club. Currently the club treasurer, he gave vast service to Raheen as a player, playing from the late 1960s through to the 2000s, finishing up just before he was 50.

Owen, Julie and Michelle were very thankful to Raheen GAA Club and its members for the way they supported them as they dealt with their double bereavement and have decided to organise this fundraising cycle as a gesture of thanks.

The O'Connor family have gone on holidays to Wexford for decades and with Offaly travelling there to play in the first round of the Leinster Senior Football Championship on April 24, it was decided to organise the fundraising cycle in conjunction with this.

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Over 30 locals will complete either the full cycle or part of it, arriving in Wexford in good time for the match.

The club are using the Club Faithful fundraising model on www.fundmajor.clubfaithful.ie and each cyclist will be inviting people to support them on this. Donations of any size can be made from this Wednesday and club chairman John Hackett appealed for support at a recent launch.

He also thanked the O'Connor family for instigating the event, paying tribute to Owen for his long commitment to Raheen and expressing sympathy to them on their losses.

Corrigeen Building Ltd and Storeyard, both Portlaoise are the main sponsors and the list of cyclists is:

Brian Keogh

Ciaran Henry

Damien Dunne

Darragh McGrath

David Connolly

Eddie Kaye

Fergus Byrne

Garrett Garry

JJ Stapleton

Keith Quinn

Matthew O'Byrne

Shane Carroll

Karol O Byrne

Stephen Byrne

Edward Garry

Ray Garry

Owen O'Connor

John Hackett

Pauric Pierce

Tom Keogh

PJ Corcoran

Micheal Hyland

Colette Carthy

Ciaran Coughlan

Kevin Clinton

Mark Gorman

Noel Gorman

Aidan Shiel

Mark Byrne

John Tobin.