After the success of the ‘Christmas Cracker’ Drive-in-Bingo in Castleisland on December 20th 2020 it was hoped that the May bank holiday weekend would see another.
Covid-19 restrictions saw that it wouldn’t happen and the nearest we got to drive-in-bingo since was at a presentation of cheques last March with the old walls of the poor-house as a backdrop.
God is good though and Saturday evening, July 17th at 6:30pm is being pencilled in with great hope and anticipation as the next Castleisland Drive-in-Bingo outing for the its hordes of followers.
Ground Break €4,000 Jackpot
The venue is, as usual, the huge yard of the Castleisland Co-Op Mart and the gates to the yard will open at 5pm on that evening.
There is a ground-breaking prize fund of €4,000 on offer and the proceeds of the event will go to the Muire Gan Smál Sensory Room and Garden catering for children with ASD which has been earmarked for special equipment.
Mart Committee Kindness
“It is with the kindness and permission of the mart committee that we’re able to conduct these drive-in-bingo sessions.
“Our loyal followers have put us in a position over the years to be able to help local charities and organisations make up any funding shortfalls they may have,” said Castleisland Races Committee Chairman Cllr. Charlie Farrelly.
Pre-Christmas Bucket Collection
While 2020 was anything but a good year for charities and fundraising, the races committee still managed to raise over €17,000 from their mart yard, Sunday bingo sessions. A pre-Christmas, Paudie Fitzmaurice Memorial Street Bucket Collection alone brought in the remarkable total of €3,500 for the University Hospital Kerry based Comfort for Chemo.
At that last cheque presentation ceremony in March, the committee also presented a cheque for €1,100 to the Castleisland Fundraising branch of the Kerry Hospice Foundation.
The donation was gratefully accepted by Jack Shanahan, branch chairman and member, Mary Shanahan.
Purchase of Defibrillators
The committee, which organised Kerry’s and Munster’s first Drive-in-bingo in 2011, has also backed the purchase of wall mounted defibrillators for strategic locations around the town in response to a request from the Castleisland First Responders.
Saturday Night Lever
“With the country opening up gradually and so much likely to be going on during the summer Sundays, we thought we’d maybe lever more of a crowd on the Saturday evening,” said Cllr. Farrelly.
“People know by now that they can play from the safety of their cars and we’ll have all the sanitising stations and toilet facilities on site as always.
“We’re asking our supporters to come and join us for an evening of fun and who knows, someone will be heading back out the gate with the jackpot in their pocket,” he concluded.
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