Michael Sutton Memorial Walk in Upperchurch this Saturday
It's now over three years since Michael Sutton, Thurles, passed away. Michael was a well-liked and well-known personality across Tipperary.
Hailing from Montore (between Dunkerrin and Templemore), he went to secondary school in Roscrea, attended agricultural college in Mountbellew and later studied dairy science at UCC.
He settled in Thurles after marrying Stella Kelly from Durrow Co Laois and was one of the managers at the famous Valley Ice Cream factory in the late 70s and 80s.
In the 1990s Michael worked in retail in many shopping centres across Nenagh, Thurles, and Cashel. His gift was meeting people, as many reading this will already know. Michael loved making connections with people.
Michael met John G O’Dwyer, founder of the Mid-Tipp Hillwalkers, through these networks of people and communities. In Michael's spare time, he ran many fundraisers for local charities, raising over €200,000 for worthy causes. Over the years, Michael was also a good friend of visually impaired Billy Shanahan and raised much-needed funds for the NCBI and the Irish Guide dogs throughout this time.
Michael's wife Stella sadly passed away in 2010. Michael was greatly comforted by the turnout of friends and associates at her funeral. “It helped me through it,” he said in the years afterwards.
He continued running his various fundraising events, and in particular his annual hillwalking challenges across Ireland with support from Mid-Tipp Hillwalkers. Michael officiated at 44 charity challenges (Spring and Autumn) for the Mid Tipp Hillwalkers over 22 years. This event still runs today.
On one of his last charity challenges in the Clifden Station House Hotel, Carmel Needham of the Mid Tipp hillwalkers made a tribute speech to Michael on his achievements as a fundraiser and on reaching his 70th birthday. Little did we know that in just over a year, Michael would no longer be with us. Soon after this Michael passed away after a very short illness at the height of Covid in University Hospital Limerick on November 21 2020, only a month after his 71st birthday.
Michael's death was unexpected and came as a great shock to everyone, especially his children: Michelle, Diarmuid, Kevin, Owen and Martin who were with him at his passing. His last words were “thank you” to the nurses and staff treating him in the intensive care unit at UHL. This befitting gesture sums up the man Michael was.
Michael always wanted to run a fundraiser on behalf of his sister Josie, who runs a school in Malawi as part of an NGO run by another Tipperary man, Bishop John Ryan. Michael spoke of this in 2019 and hoped it would be the next thing he would do after Covid. “I'd love to run an event for my sister Josie,” he said.
IN MEMORY
We are glad to announce that in memory of Michael, the fully organised Michael Sutton Memorial Walk will take place in Upperchurch on April 6 at 11am to raise funds for the Josie Phelan Malawi Education Project in association with the Heart to Hand Charity (organised by another local Tipp man Noel Buckley).
The Timetable of walks and other events in Upperchurch for the day is as follows: 11am: Mass in Sacred Heart Church Upperchurch; 10:30am to 12pm at Upperchurch Community Centre is registration for a walk. Walk 1: 12pm - 8km Eamon an Chnoic; Walk 2: 12.15pm - 4km Eamon an Chnoic.
Then a short talk followed by food and music afterwards at the community centre. Food will be provided by Kinane’s Bar, Upperchurch. All donations welcome.
You can donate online using the link below or scan the barcode on the poster attached.
Online GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/aaaa2991