David Doyle with. colleagues – cheque-mate to cancer.
By Eoin Meegan
There will be a fundraising night for the Irish Cancer Society in McCloskey’s Pub, Donnybrook, on Saturday the 12th of May. The event, which is now in its sixth year, is organised by local resident David Doyle.
“I got the idea for raising money for cancer,” David told me, “when my mum was ill. I was looking after her and all the time was thinking I’d love to do something to help others.”
Sadly, David’s mum lost the battle to cancer at only 54. After that, he channeled his grief into action and began fundraising for the Irish Cancer Society. His first venture was in Roslyn Park College in 2007 where he studied graphic design. This was a bring and buy event, which raised over €1,800. Then in 2014 he hit on the idea of having a fundraiser in a pub with music, food, spot prizes and so on. “That idea had repeat year potential. McCloskey’s in Donnybrook very kindly agreed and have been hosting it since,” he explains.
As well as designing the posters for the event himself, David will also oversee the music on the night. He runs discos periodically for parties and special events under the moniker of Mobile DJD. Expect good sounds from the 60s, 70s 80s and 90s! There will be a raffle on the night, also finger food and spot prizes to be won. The events starts from 8 pm.
Sadly, cancer continues to affect nearly every family in Ireland. On average, one in four deaths here are directly attributable to cancer. Over 9,000 people die from the disease here each year, with the three biggest causes being skin, prostate and breast cancer, in that order, and a further 165,000 more people are living with the illness.
On top of this, something like 40,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. However, thanks to the advances in research and the public’s generous donations, more of these people are surviving, and for longer. Last year, the Irish Cancer Society provided free one-on-one information and support from cancer nurses and support centres to over 50,000 people across the country.
Monies raised from this and the many other events the Irish Cancer Society support will ensure this work continues, as well as funding research into better ways to diagnose, treat, and even stop cancer before it starts, according to data sourced from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland (NRCI) and the Central Statistics Office (OSF)
David would like to thank the Irish Cancer Society staff for their generous help over the years in providing t-shirts and support. “They have always looked after us really well,” he said. He would further like to thank Brian McCloskey and all the staff in McCloskey’s pub for their continued support and the effort everyone puts in on the night.
The event, now in its fifth year, has raised a lot of money since its initiation. The breakdown is as follows:
2014 – €1,000
2015 – €620
2016 – €601
2017 – €800
This year they want to hit that €1000 mark again!
He admits, however, that it is not easy getting businesses to sponsor and donate prizes and he stresses that all sponsorship will be very welcome.
If you want to sponsor the event you can contact David at daviddoyle33@hotmail.com
For more information on cancer, you can contact the Irish Cancer Society on Freephone 1800 200 700.
Saturday May 12th promises to be a fun night in Donnybrook. Hope to see you there!
