Community College holds fundraiser for Dillon Quirke Foundation

BORRISOKANE Community College played host to a spectacular evening of fun and frolics recently to entertain the large crowd that turned out in glorious sunshine to a unique fundraising event which was held for the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
First off was the serious side of the evening with the official opening of the ball wall which is on the school grounds. In welcoming everyone, school Principal Mr Matthew Carr said the wall was built about five years ago but Covid had delayed the opening. He said he wanted to thank the Parents Association for their involvement in fundraising for the wall and for dressing rooms for the sports field.

“The Parents Association are always brilliant to the College just going along and doing the fundraising and getting everything in place and a great support to us,” he said. He went on to mention how there was lots happening and all in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation and he was delighted to welcome back so many past students.

Special guest was former student and Tipperary Senior hurling great Niall O’Meara from the Kilruane McDonagh club just out the road. Niall was delighted to be invited back to his old Alma Mater to do the honours of cutting the ribbon. “I started here in 2006, three of my brothers would have also gone here and I loved it here,” he said.

He mentioned that he was doing his Masters only recently and he was talking about his days in the school. “The whole holistic experience between everything I got to try every subject and it’s funny as I was asked by Nenagh CBS to go play hurling there, but the lure of the place kept me so it’s funny,” said Niall.

He then took the opportunity to thank all his former teachers for all their guidance and help and said they were the reason he followed them into the profession at Primary level. “I met a lot of good people here and I have lifelong friends and it’s great to see the school the way it is now, much bigger and better and it’s great for all the students to have tip top sporting facilities here,” he said.

Niall complimented everyone including the Parents Association for all their brilliant work and the work that is going on for making the awareness for the Dillon Quirke Foundation. Niall, who was on the injury list with the Tipperary senior hurling squad, said “I’m just back now training so I hope I’ll get a run at it.”

Next up was the fun and frolics and all the preparations in the making of this event, paid off with everyone there really enjoying the fun. It was a wonderful evening with fabulous food, traditional music from the school music class, an art exhibition by all the students which proved very popular, various skills challenges which really appealed, a popular crossbar challenge which was won by Míoda O’Shea from the Kilruane McDonagh club and was rewarded with a Dillon Quirke jersey, and a hurling and Camogie match from former and present students finished off the evening.

Former captain of the school All Ireland team Matthew Tierney presented Conor Cleary, past student, while Seán Ryan, teacher presented Sean McGrath, present student, with a player of the match bag of gifts which was donated by Fiserv. The two camogie players who received a similar Fiserv bag each for their player of the match abilities were past student Laura Leenane and present student Ali O’Kelly with referee Alan Tierney doing the honours.
All proceeds from the fundraising go to the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
Dillon Quirke was only 24 years old when he burst onto the hurling scene for Tipperary in 2022 but tragically passed away suddenly in August of the same year during a Championship game for his club Clonoulty–Rossmore.