ABC coverage stateside for the West Kerry Tractor Run

THE West Kerry Tractor Run (Mórchuaird Tarracóra Corca Dhuibhne) was a success by even the most discerning measure, attracting almost 150 tractors of all shapes and sizes and raising more than €40,000, to date, for two superb causes.

But the funds for Dingle-based Gáidín Mhuire Day Care Centre and the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association keep rolling in, and the run last week received the backing of one the USA’s ‘big three’ broadcasting companies.

Two Facebook pages linked to the New York-based company – the ‘ABC News’ page and ‘ABC World News Tonight with David Muir’ – shared some drone footage filmed by Dingle man Ciaran Williams on the day of the run, November 25 last.

Mr Williams, from Dingle, told The Kerryman that social media intelligence agency ‘Storyful’ had sent his video to clients in the USA and added that any revenue arising from the publicity will be donated to the tractor run.

The two pages have a combined following of some 17million, and was also shared on Instagram. The footage has since drawn in some 260,000 views, and one of the run’s co-chairs, John Patrick O’Sullivan, admitted to feeling over-

whelmed at the news.

“When I heard it first, I thought my daughter was having me on,” he joked. “It’s unbelievable to get that kind of exposure – although I must add that the coverage we got locally from the likes of The Kerryman and Radio Kerry was huge. You can have a great product, but that’s no good if you don’t get the word out there.

“On the day of the run, we were blessed with the weather, and as with any outdoor event, that is huge. We [the organisers] were overwhelmed at the support we got, and we’re still overwhelmed.”

John Patrick co-chaired the event with fellow Lios Póil man Séamus Devane.

John Patrick was the beneficiary of a 2016 lung transplant and is a strong advocate of the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association. He has often stressed the importance of registering as an organ donor and making your family aware of your wishes to donate, a crucial aspect of the process. Seamus’s wife, Noreen, passed away last April after a long illness, but his family were deeply impressed at the care she received from Gáirdín Mhuire.

John Patrick said the account remains and will remain open, with ambitions for further fund-raising in the future. To donate, visit ca.gofundme.com/ west-kerry-tractor-run.

Photo by Declan Malone Kitty Ingram, Tomás Devane, Seamus Devane, John Patrick O’Sullivan, Colm Murphy, Jimmy Fitzgerald, Mary Devane, Denis Devane, baby Alan Devane and Clare Devane were pictured ahead of the West Kerry Tractor Run, which took place on November 25 last.