The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Movember donation yet another donation from generous bar
THEY were growing more than moustaches in Hughes Bar in Cordal over the past month of November, they were growing an already burgeoning reputation as one of the most charitable bars in Kerry, having raised over €58,000 in the past five years for a number of local and national charities, including the Kerry Hospice Foundation.
Since 2011, the popular bar has been taking part in the growing tradition that is Movember, a campaign in which men go without shaving for an entire month, all in aid of cancer research, with their campaign culminating in a shave-off night held every year in the bar, at the end of November.
“I suppose it all stemmed from just a regular Sunday night a couple of years ago. We’ve got a lovely group of men that come in of a Sunday evening and they’d always be full of energy and craic’ and banter. They’d have the few pints and all that, but one night then, they just got talking about this idea of Movember and they went ahead and did it that first year and it’s grown since then,”said Moira Hughes, one of the organisers behind the night.
“The first year in 2011, we started oput with around 10-15 people and since then, we’ve gone up into the twenties; they’re a great, fun bunch of guys who take part.”
“We’re delighted how this year has gone. We never thought that we’d reach the heights of the amounts that we have raised; we’ve got just over €9,000 this year and over €58,000 altogether over the past few years, it’s amazing,”
“The lads like to keep all the money they raise, on a local level, so you can see where it is going; this year we are giving €1,000 to Movbember Ireland, €4,080 to Kerry/Cork Link Bus and €4,080 to the Oncology unit in University Hospital Kerry,” Moira continued.
“Breda from Kerry/Cork Health Link Bus was able to tell us where our money would be going and what they would be able to do with it; I think when you can know what your money will be helping to do, it makes it all the better.”
The shave-off night, as would be expected, is a huge night for the bar and the village, and while there were a few dodgy handle-bar moustaches and goatees on show on the night, Moira says that there is always great fun had.
“It’s a wonderful community event; this year now, we had an auction where we sold off things like a leg of lamb, bags of ration and even a pair of Charlie Nelligan’s football shorts from 1984!”
“We had a packed night this year and there was great support from the local businesses, as we get every year.”
“When it comes to cancer, no-one will refuse to donate; everybody knows somebody who has been affected by it or more unfortunately has seen someone on a family level affected by it or who has been affected by it themselves and so, it’s a wonderful that we are able to help contribute to the research in some small way,” she finished.