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There are times when the goodness and sheer decency of people would bring a tear to your eye.
Times when people have a common cause and turn out in force to support one of their own through a tough period in their life. I had the honour to be at such a gathering last Friday night.
The venue was Kanturk Mart. The gathering was in support of a young local man by the name of Rickie Healy.
Rickie, whose family farms near Ballyclough, suffered a serious spinal injury last summer and is now entering rehabilitation treatment.
His community wanted Rickie to know they were with him on this journey and set out to raise money to support his needs.
One of the ideas was to hold an auction night, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Rickie fund.
The chief organiser was 24-year-old Caroline O’Connell, who works with North Cork Creameries, and her dad, Tim, who is an auctioneer with Kanturk Mart.
The plan was to auction livestock donated by local farmers and the initial response was more than they ever hoped for, says Caroline.
“We had farmers offering to donate and rear an animal, other farmers donated an animal and it was then sponsored by an agribusiness.
"We had people coming to us looking to help. It was amazing.”
The project reached its finale on Friday night when up to 900 people packed into Kanturk Mart. There literally wasn’t room to move. In all, 68 livestock went under the hammer.
Even Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed tried his hand at a spot of auctioneering, selling two pedigree Limousine heifers sponsored by Rickie’s uncles for €1,500 and €1,750.
And it wasn’t just livestock that was up for grabs. Other auction items included a pair of Ed Sheeran tickets, which made €470 and a ‘morning on the gallops’ with one of the country’s leading racehorse trainers, Henry De Bromhead, which sold for €500.
However, the biggest price of the night was achieved for a framed Irish rugby jersey signed by our newly minted Grand Slam team, which made €2,120.
The plan was to raise €50,000, but when they finish doing the sums Caroline expects that figure to over €70,000, still only a fraction of what Ricki needs long term.
There’s no need to fret about a decline in volunteerism and community spirit in rural Ireland when you have this level of support for a good cause.
It’s there in bucket-loads. If you want to add your support, then contact Caroline at 086-1916117.
At this time of the year, Ireland’s 14,830 active sport horse breeders are weighing up stallion choices for the 2018 breeding season and looking forward to seeing new stock on the ground.
The beginning of the breeding season is the perfect time for any breeder to ask questions and seek answers.
So this week we have the ultimate guide to sport horse breeding, with 30 pages of analysis and advice from notable industry experts, sire reviews and much more.
Finally, don’t forget to check out our 12-page Groundcare supplement.
Plus, it’s the last call for our #saveoursucklers campaign. Make sure your voice is heard, sign the petition at farmersjournal.ie/sos.
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