Sarah Langham, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee; Tom Sanders, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee; Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee; Brendan Watson, Garrykennedy Sailing Club (GSC); Dan O’Connell GSC; Peter O’Callaghan, GSC; Mary Hurley, Launching Authority, Lough Derg RNLI, and Bob O’Brien, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee.

Garrykennedy Sailing Club fundraises for the RNLI

Published:

Each year, Garrykennedy Sailing Club hosts a special fundraiser for Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat Station. This event is held in conjunction with the Visitors Cup, the club's biggest sailing event of the year.

The Visitors Cup is an open race for all keelboats on the lake. It has been raced in Garrykennedy since shortly after the club was founded in 1985, and even before an RNLI lifeboat was stationed on the lake, incorporated a fundraiser for the charity.

Dan O'Connell, a sailor and one of the event organisers, said: “This year conditions were wet and windy and numbers, sailing and on shore, were well back on normal. However, support for the RNLI within the club is firm, and with the help of substantial online contributions from those who could not be in Garry for today's racing, an impressive sum of €1,610 was raised.”

The cheque was recently presented to Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee, outside Ciss Ryan's in Garrykennedy village, by representatives from the sailing club.

Niamh thanked Garrykennedy Sailing Club for their wonderful support down the years. She added: “The RNLI relies on just such public donations to fund its lifesaving operations.

“As a charity, the RNLI receives no government funding and must raise millions each year to maintain its fleet, train volunteers, provide essential equipment, and cover operational costs.”

Published: