Mick O’Regan Memorial Run tops the €100k mark
‘YOU HAVE HELPED SAVE 100 LIVES AND CHANGED 7,000 MORE FOR THE BETTER’
PROCEEDS from the 2018 Mick O’Regan Memorial Motorcycle Run donated to Pieta House mean that the event has raised more than €100,000 for the charity since it was first held five years ago.
This year’s run, which took place in mid-August, saw more than 300 bikers traverse the highways and byways of north Cork with volunteers also on collection duty as the cavalcade passed through towns and villages along the 90km route.
A large crowd turned out at Kit Roche’s Bar in Buttevant to witness the handing over of the proceeds from the run, a staggering €30,091.40, to Pat Duffy representing Pieta House.
Event co-organiser Mick O’Regan said what had started out a simple tribute to a “fallen friend” has grown into a fantastic annual show of support for the suicide and self-harm prevention charity.
“It is no exaggeration to say that when Tom Hedderman and I revealed the amount raised this year there was an audible gasp of amazement from the large crowd present followed by an almost spontaneous round of applause,” said Bertie.
“It means that we have now raised more than €100,000 for Pieta house over the past fiveyears. I can’t even begin to say how much we appreciate the generosity of the public who have donated over the years and how grateful we are to the many people who come together to make the run such a success each year,” he added.
Bertie said he was delighted that Mick O’Regan’s family were present at the cheque presentation ceremony.
“Mick’s mother, Eileen, spoke at the event thanking everyone who organised and took part in the run. Her words summed up the sentiments of all involved in that every cent donated counts - because every life matters,” he said.
“We can’t save those that are gone, but we can try our best to save those we still have.”
Speaking on the night Pat Duffy of Pieta House said he felt saying thank you could not “adequately express my feelings of gratitude, or those of my colleagues.”
“Although the services of Pieta House are free, there are costs involved and we estimated the cost of treating each client from day one through to the point of good health is around €1,000. This means that 100 lives have been saved as a direct result of the Mick O’Regan run,” said Mr Duffy.
He said that research undertaken by the Open University had shown that more than 70 people are impacted by the suicide of a friend or loved one.
“This means that more than 7,000 people’s lives have been changed for the better through the efforts of all those associated with this run. To put this into some sort of context, this is about four times the population of Buttevant,” said Mr Duffy.
“It is worth reiterating that through your efforts, you have saved 100 lives and changed more than 7,000 others for the better. That is amazing. The organising committee must be acknowledged for keeping Mick O’Regan’s memory alive and for turning it into this wonderful and positive result,” he added.