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Sligo beckons for tractor men 26.03.09
100-mile tractor trek
in aid of Shauna O’Connor at Letterkenny Hospital
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen
Independent
A VINTAGE tractor drive from Sligo to Inishowen will
take place on 1-2 May, the May bank holiday weekend,
in aid of Shauna O’Connor and the children’s ward at
Letterkenny General Hospital.
Inspired by the bravery of Shauna, a young Illies
girl who is currently undergoing treatment for
cancer at Letterkenny and Our Lady’s Hospital for
Sick Children in Dublin, the organisers will round
off the long tractor drive with a dance at the
Ballyliffin Hotel on Saturday, 2 May.
Up to 20 vintage tractors, some more than 50 years
old, will take part in the 100+ mile trip and
organisers have appealed for volunteers to help
collect money along the route or sell tickets for
the dance from door-to-door here in Inishowen. |
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“We have plenty of
tractors and drivers,” Andy Doherty (Toner), one of
the organisers, said, “But we could do with some
help with collectors for the buckets and people to
sell the dance tickets.”
Young Shauna, a third year student in Scoil Mhuire,
Buncrana, successfully underwent a major operation
in Crumlin children’s hospital last Friday week.
“She had eight and half hours of surgery and while
it was nerve wracking the operation was a great
success,” said Shauna’s mother Ailish. “The cancer
is all gone. Shauna has eight further courses of
chemotherapy to undergo between now and August but
those won’t be as strong as the six she’s already
had. She has come strongly through all her |
treatment to date.”
Ailish and her husband William are delighted with
the fundraising plans. “The nurses in doctors in
both Crumlin and Letterkenny have been so good to
Shauna,” Ailish says. “I can’t praise them enough,
they’ve just been fantastic.”
The tractor rally is the third organised by local
vintage drivers. Back in 2004 Andy Toner led a
tractor trek from Mizen Head to Malin Head in aid of
his son Andrew who underwent heart surgery, while
last summer the group did a tour of Inishowen in aid
of Self Help Africa.
For more details on volunteering to be a collector
along the route, or about selling tickets
door-to-door, contact Angela on 086 0670916 or
Roisin on 086 1981067. |
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