Last year we lost a former player and dear club friend in John McHugh in the Dublin Half Marathon as he collapsed close to the finish line.
His friend and former teammate, Ronan O'Byrne has decided to to run the London marathon in his memory having never done anything like this before.
Ronan also has epilepsy - so has decided to raise money for two charities - CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) and the Epilepsy Society and split the amount raised between them. The two charities do great work and he hopes to raise as much as possible for them.
For years Ronan played against John at schools level, as he attended Castleknock College while John went to Belvedere. But their rivalry was put aside after school and both played together for Coolmine under Andrew Wood.
'As a part of my fundraising,' Ronan tells us 'I have tried to get a range of prizes for those who sponsor me. For every €5 donated you get to guess the time in which you think I will complete the marathon. To date I have managed to get some great prizes'
And the list of prizes is impressive:
* Signed Irish Jersey by this years Six Nations Squad (Match Jersey worn by prop Martin Moore)
* Signed English Rugby Jersey by the Grand Slam winning team (was signed in the dressing room after the Wales game)
* Signed Leinster, Ulster, Ospreys, London Irish, Bristol Jerseys (will hopefully get more incl. Munster, Bath jerseys and a Stade Francais rugby ball)
* Signed Dublin and Meath GAA Jerseys
* Weekend tickets to the British Touring Car Championship (Silverstone)
* Vouchers for many restaurants
* Tickets to the Theatre and other activities
* Tickets - Croke Park skyline walk & museum, Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery
We wish Ronan the very best in his fundraising efforts and that he does well in the London Marathon.
The link to his fundraising page can be found here:
(http://uk.virginmoneygiving.
