Large turnout for Rathoe run in memory of Noel O’Connor
Lily and Ruby Kavanagh with Marian Cardiff at the Noel O'Connor Memorial Run in Rathoe Photos: Michael O'Rourke Photography
A LARGE crowd turned out in Rathoe village for a 5km/10km run on Easter Saturday to remember the late Noel O’Connor, raising over €11,000 for Beaumont Hospital Foundation.
Over 300 people participated in the race, with more in attendance to honour the memory of a man who gave so much to his local community.
Noel, who was known to his friends simply as the ‘Big Fella’, was an active member of Fighting Cocks GFC and held a number of positions across the club’s executive committee over the years.
“He was possibly one of the greatest organisers to get anything done,” one of Noel’s close friends, John Hennessy, told .
“He was secretary and treasurer of the club and would have been one of the driving forces behind any of the club’s fundraisers,” John said.
“But the big one he got going was the 5km and 10km fundraising run, which kickstarted about ten years ago.”
John added that a favoured tactic of Noel’s was never to ask somebody if they could help out, but to tell them what job they were doing. “He used to say if you ask them, you give them a chance to say no.”
Following his passing, a group of Noel’s friends got together and decided to do a run in his memory, with Noel’s family selecting the Beaumont Foundation as the charity of choice to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for him in his final weeks.
“He was just a big guy with a big heart. If there was something on in the area, he would be the first person there organising people and helping out,” said John.
“The day of the race was a testament to him. People who knew him just turned up on the day, and even if they didn’t do the race, they sponsored a few quid for it, just for him and his family,” he added.
