Get active in memory of Killian (24)

THE people of West Cork are being asked to get active for charity this weekend to help raise funds for Brú Columbanus and the Bantry Palliative Care Unit (Marymount).

From Good Friday March 29th to Easter Monday April 1st, everyone is invited to run, jog, walk, hike, cycle, or swim for Brú Columbanus and Marymount, with suggested distance goals of either 5km or 10km. For those swimming – a ‘quick dip’ will suffice.

The Bantry Palliative Care Unit provides specialist care of the highest quality for those with a life-limiting illness.

Brú Columbanus provides home-from-home accommodation for relatives of seriously ill patients in Cork hospitals.

This is the second fundraiser for the two good causes organised by the Lawton family from Barryroe.

They were inspired to act after losing their younger brother Killian to cancer on  July 28th 2021 at the age of 24.

‘Whenever Killian was unwell during his treatment he was often cared for at home by members of the Bantry Palliative Care team. In the end, he spent over three weeks in Marymount Hospice. No words will ever capture the care administered in this unique hospice,’ a family spokesperson said.

‘Whilst he was in Marymount, we were lucky to have accommodation nearby in Brú Columbanus. It proved to be a home away from home during his final days and meant we could spend as much time as possible with him in the hospice.

‘The organisers of this event, like many others, have seen first-hand the amazing, loving care offered in Brú Columbanus and Marymount Hospice – we have been inspired to organise this fundraiser in honour of Clonakilty locals Alice Crowley, who passed away in 2018, and Michael Clancy in 2020. We also remember other friends and close family members like Clíona Thuillier (2016), David Saunders (2023) and Finbarr Griffin (2023).’

A nominal €20 fee is suggested, with all funds raised equally going to Brú Columbanus and the Bantry Palliative Care unit.

A similar fundraising event which took place in Easter 2022 saw participants in West Cork, across Ireland, and other locations including Barcelona, Brussels, Kraków, London, Los Angeles, Marbella, Marrakesh, Prague, Toronto, Seattle, Sydney, Washington D.C., France, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, and New Zealand.

In 2022, an incredible €26,076 was raised for Marymount Hospice.