Witches and Warlocks gathering in aid of Offaly Hospice

THE annual Witches & Warlock Halloween paddle took place on the Grand Canal in near perfect autumn weather conditions in Shannon Harbour last Sunday week.

The Halloween paddle was organised by Yvonne Woods and Jonathan O’Meara from Mid Ireland Adventure, a Banagher based outdoor activity provider. All proceeds from the Halloween Paddle were donated to the Offaly Hospice charity.

Speaking after the event, Mid Ireland Adventure owner and local election Independent candidate Jonathan O’Meara thanked all the participants who supported the fundraising paddle in Shannon Harbour. “We were delighted with the turnout and the amount of money that was raised from the Witches & Warlock paddle. In total we raised €740 for the Hospice.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated, supported and helped out last weekend. Big thanks to Yvonne Woods for setting the event in motion, to Caroline Woods for her delicious spooky cupcakes and hot chocolate afterwards, to Dean Matthews for the photographs and to Dermot and Shirley from McIntyres Pub Shannon Harbour for their generous donation.

“All the participants made a massive effort in terms of preparing eye catching Halloween costumes and wearing face paints. I think the flotilla of stand up paddle boards and kayaks that departed from Griffith Bridge were a sight to behold and definitely added a splash of colour on the Grand Canal. The reaction from the boat owners and the locals who were out enjoying their lunchtime Sunday stroll was hilarious. People were taking out their camera phones eager to get a picture of the Witches flying down the canal on stand up paddle boards instead of their traditional broom sticks.”

All proceeds from last weekend's Halloween paddle has been given over to a fantastic local charity Offaly Hospice who do such amazing work supporting the local palliative care teams in communities across Offaly. Since 2019, Offaly Hospice has been raising much-needed funds to go toward the Midlands Hospice Building Fund. The Midlands Hospice Building Fund will essentially be a Specialist Palliative Care in-Patient Unit and the Midlands remains the only region in the country without one. The aim of the Fund is to raise enough money through charitable donations to fund building and equipping a Specialist Palliative Care Unit that would provide first class services now and into the future for patients and families in the Midlands region.”