It was business as usual in the ‘card room’ of the River Island Hotel on Sunday night but there was an extra bit of a celebratory edge to the proceedings.
“We were delighted to have celebrated our 30th anniversary of the card game on Sunday night. It was great to see such a big crowd of 13 tables, our biggest since Covid,” said event PRO John O’Connell.
“Thanks to all the people who turned out on the night and a special thanks to the River Island Hotel for providing us with the room every Sunday night,”he said.
The Cards are 30
‘The Cards’ and the players are now part of the longest running charity fundraisers in the area after being founded at Skevena’s Bar by the host of the time, John ‘Skevena’ O’Sullivan.
Having raised badly needed cash for a range of Kerry based charities the weekly, Sunday night gathering, though rattled like every event of its kind by the lock-down, shows no signs of folding.
Now known collectively as ‘The River Island Hotel Card Players’ – at the last count before the Covid-19 lockdown, the committee and its Sunday school clients had donated close on €60,000 to a long list of worthy charities.
€1,000 Cheques to Charities
On the most recent presentation, just before the lock-down, a pot of €5,000 was distributed in €1,000 lots each to the following charities: Recovery Haven; The Oncology Unit, University Hospital Kerry; The Leukemia Trust; Cork / Kerry Health Link Bus and Breast Cancer Ireland.
Presentation nights are organised when the pot is full and the collected funds are then distributed accordingly.
The ‘charity money’ is raised by means of an admission fee of €7 per player each Sunday night.
The pre-covid weekly gathering was attracting an average of 60 to 70 players per night and they came from all corners of Kerry and from well beyond the borders of Cork and Limerick.
Numbers Rising Since Return
The numbers are slowly making their way back up since the post Covid return of November 2022.
From the players’ admission fee the organisers, John Skevena O’Sullivan, Donie Cremins Paul Geaney and John O’Connell devised a pay out of winnings and place prizes of €150 / €75 and several €20 awards for best ladies, best gents and mixed as well as the odd cash spot prize.
Their considered charities are chosen from the local pool or those in which there is a local involvement.
There are many charities throughout the locality and beyond which have benefited from their kindness down through the years.
New Card players are always welcome at the Sunday night gatherings. The games begin at 9pm.
Sunday Night’s Results
Sunday night’s results are as follows: first: Neily Shanahan and Dick Collins. Second: Moss Horan and Connie Keane, Gabe O Sullivan and Margaret Downey. Ladies: Mairead Nolan and Teresa Lenihan. Gents: Tom Brennan and Dan Buckley, Donie Cremins and Jeremiah Kerins.
Mixed. Breda and Jim O’Sullivan. Spots. Johnny O’Connell and Richie Walsh, Johnny Healy and Stanley Wade, Bridget Gray and Tom Horgan. Cards continue next Sunday night at 9pm sharp.
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