Castleisland Vintage Run Raised €4,661.00 for Link Bus

Organisers, committee members and friends of the annual Castleisland Vintage Run pictured at the presentation of the cheque to representatives of the Kerry Cancer Support Group / Kerry Cork Health Link Bus at The Half-Way Bar in Ballymacelligott. Included are front: Sandra O'Connor, Noel O'Connor, event founder; Trish Kelly and Breda Dyland, Kerry Cancer Support Group / Kerry Cork Health Link Bus and Margaret O'Connor, committee member. Back row from left: Noan Horan, Mike Harrington, Donal McGlynn, Cllr. Pat McCarthy, Joe O'Connor, Timmy O'Connor, Larry Keane, Seamus and Cody Shanahan, Eileen Somers, Frank O'Connor and Margaret Prendiville. ©Photograph: John Reidy — Organisers, committee members and friends of the annual Castleisland Vintage Run pictured at the presentation of the cheque to representatives of the Kerry Cancer Support Group / Kerry Cork Health Link Bus at The Half-Way Bar in Ballymacelligott. Included are front: Sandra O’Connor, Noel O’Connor, event founder; Trish Kelly and Breda Dyland, Kerry Cancer Support Group / Kerry Cork Health Link Bus and Margaret O’Connor, committee member. Back row from left: Noan Horan, Mike Harrington, Donal McGlynn, Cllr. Pat McCarthy, Joe O’Connor, Timmy O’Connor, Larry Keane, Seamus and Cody Shanahan, Eileen Somers, Frank O’Connor and Margaret Prendiville. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Castleisland Vintage Run organiser, Noel O’Connor had a close call in 1999. He lost a lung to cancer that year through his chronic addiction to cigarette smoking from his teenage years.

However, he survived to tell his story and to fulfill a promise he made while on the flat of his back in hospital.

Since 2012, and thankfully a return to excellent health, Noel has been organising the Castleisland Vintage Run around these parts for a variety of cancer associated charities. In that time he has managed to raise an average of €4,500 per event and is now pushing close to a total of €30,000 in all.

Level of Funding

In more recent years he has, wisely, opened up the event to all kinds of vintage vehicles and that in itself has maintained the level of funding for his chosen charities.

This year’s run was held from The Halfway Bar in Ballymacelligott on Sunday, June 10th. and it raised the fine total of €4,661,00 for the Cork / Kerry Health Link Bus.

They put an entry fee of €10 per vintage vehicle and every make and type of road-worthy, vintage machine and driver was eligible to enter.

From the said starting point their convoy moved off through: Farranfore, Currow, Castleisland and back to the start at The Halfway Bar.

Cancer Survivor

Noel O’Connor is one of our best known cancer survivors and the organiser-in-chief of this great event. His brush with cancer and the help he got in getting over it has really driven him to give something back for the good of others ever since. He is aided by his son Frank and family members and they have put in a huge amount of work into the event each year.

They’re hatching plans for the 2017 event already and you’ll hear all about them in lots of time.

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