Tallaght Echo
Thursday 26 April 2012
Ciaran’s special legacy
Family of tragic young footballer hand over €21K cheque to CRY
By Lynda O’Donoghue
The family of Round Towers GAA player Ciaran Carr who passed away suddenly in January have raised more than €21,000 for the CRY Unit in Tallaght Hospital in memory of their talented son.
The 20 year old had organized his 21st birthday party just days before He collapsed and died during a training session in Clondalkin on January 20.
Members of the GAA club, the wider community and close friends and family were in shock when news spread that the popular young man who also worked at The Laurels Pub had passed away.
In his memory, Ciaran’s father Philip and mother Gemma along with extended family and friends held a fundraiser on the night of his planned party – raising the huge sum for the life saving unit in Tallaght.
Philip told The Echo: “It was way beyond our expectations – it is such a great figure. We were very happy to get that amount.”
The aim of the fundraising night – which was held in March to coincide with what would have been Ciaran’s 21st birthday – was to “raise as much as possible for the CRY Unit in honour of Ciaran, according to his dad.
The family, supported by friends, teammates and club mates of Ciaran, managed to do just that with the “outstanding amount” presented to the CRY Unit on Tuesday evening.
Although there was no admission fee for the fundraiser, the family still managed to raise the staggering amount through the generosity of those present and those who donated money in memory of Ciaran.
During the night there was a monster raffle with tickets costing €5 which also raised a huge amount of money for the cause.
Philip handed over the cheque for more than €21,000 to representatives of the CRY Unit in Tallaght Hospital in Round Towers GAA Club where the event was held and the place where Ciaran spent so much of his free time – on Tuesday evening.