Threshing cancer event will remember Butty Sugrue

WHILE poor weather certainly had the edge over Threshing Cancer’s big day when forcing its cancellation a week ago, it’s all systems go ahead of this weekend’s rescheduled event as the busy team at Gortnascarry are determined to fulfil their promise of a wonderful line up of entertainment.

Since 2013, Threshing Cancer has raised over €76,000 which is divided between local cancer support services and this Sunday will see the usual array of vintage machinery and displays of what farming life was like in olden days. There’s also family fun scheduled with a main stage being set-up for live entertainment.

This year’s Threshing Cancer will have a strong local history feel to it with a special tribute to the late, Michael ‘Butty’ Sugrue – strong man, circus performer, entrepreneur and, of course, the man famous for bringing Muhammad Ali to Dublin in 1972.

Butty Sugrue was born in Gortnascarry in 1924 and earned the name ‘Butty’ due to his powerful stature and extraordinary strength. He toured with Duffy’s Circus in the 1940s as the ‘strong man’ and gained a reputation as a competitive wrestler. He was also a skilled promoter and entrepreneur where he arranged for some the world’s most famous boxers, such as Henry Cooper and Joe Louis, to tour Ireland. But he will forever be remembered for his role in helping to bring ‘the Greatest’ to Ireland in 1972 and Ali’s legendary Croke Park bout.

“He was an extraordinary man and a very successful entrepreneur and the ideas he came up with were unique for the time. His fight with Jack Doyle in Killorglin was the stuff of legend and of course his role in bringing Ali to Dublin was amazing as Ali was one of the world’s most famous people at the time,” said Johnny O’Connor.

So what can people expect to learn about Michael ‘Butty’ Sugrue on Sunday?

“We will be showing video footage of him and we’ll also be talking to people that knew him and try to share some of the stories of his life. There was nothing that Butty didn’t try and he even pulled the goat around Killorglin in a trailer one year! It’s nice to remember him where he was born.”