The good news for local 31 card game enthusiasts is the announcement that the weekly, Sunday night, card game at the River Island Hotel, Castleisland will resume on November 20th at 9pm sharp.
The group of Sunday night card players based at the hotel in Castleisland for over the past decade had to cease their shuffling, dealing and fundraising in March 2020.
Like the rest of the country, at that time, they had to call a halt under the alarm of the all enveloping Covid-19 virus.
Because their gatherings were, necessarily, indoors they knew they wouldn’t be resuming for an unforeseeable while.
Gloomy Outlook in Early 2020
The gloomy outlook was confirmed by their spokesman, John O’Connell as the cards were packed away as the country and the world folded.
At the time the organisers found that their charity fund was rising nicely and they had €3,000 in the kitty. Because of the uncertainty they decided to distribute it and they looked at their list of applicant charities. They presented €1,000 to My Canine Companion and €500 each to:
The Kerry / Cork Health-link Bus; The Oncology Unit, University Hospital Kerry and Castleisland Day Care Centre.
That list of presentations brought their charity donations to within touching distance of the €100,000 mark.
Founded in Skevenas Bar in 1994
They meet every Sunday night at 9pm and they have been doing so since the early 1990s.
The group, which began its run of Sunday night games at Skevenas Bar in 1994 to 2007, has moved house several times since and has survived to raise and hand over thousands of Euros each year to the deserving charities.
River Island Facilities Free of Charge
They enjoy the River Island Hotel facilities free of charge and when they hit the figure of €5,000 they split it five ways and present a welcome bonus of €1,000 each to five local causes.
The presentations are made just before they sit to play on the nominated Sunday nights and representatives of the various charities are invited to attend the brief presentation ceremonies.
A Kitty Without a Copper
The event is returning under the stewardship of John O’Connell with founder John Skevena O’Sullivan, Donie Cremins, Cllr. Charlie Farrelly and Kathleen O’Connor.
The plan for the return of the event is to run it through the winter and early spring months and to park it up for the summer.
That’s the only change as they start with a clean slate and a kitty without a copper in it – but it won’t be so.
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