Poker Run event in memory of the late Colin Kelly
A Poker Run to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospital is being held to honour the memory of a much-loved Athlone man who passed away suddenly last month.
The Colin Kelly Memorial Run 2021 takes place on Sunday, August 29 next, and is being organised jointly by members of the Mullingar Classic & Vintage Club and a group of Colin’s friends from Athlone who felt they could not pay fitting tribute to his memory due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Colin’s brother, PJ, has set up a Go Fund me page https://ie.gofundme.com/f/colin-kelly-memorial-poker-run-2021 which has already exceeded its fundraising target of €1,000 and the organisers of the Poker Run are hoping to have between 30 and 50 classic and vintage cars taking part in the fundraising drive on August 29 next.
All proceeds from the GoFundMe page and the Poker Run will go to St Lukes’s Hospital, which was a cause very close to the late Colin Kelly’s heart as he was a long time member of the Midlands Motorcycle Club who have organised numerous fundraising events for St Luke’s over the years.
The 55-year old father of three was a cherished member of the motorcycle club and a well-known car enthusiast who spent long hours working as a marshal, fundraising and carrying out many other duties on the regular charity bike runs organised by the Midlands Motorcycle Club on behalf of St Luke’s.
The organisers of the Poker Run, including Jimmy Duffy, who was a good friend of Colin Kelly, and Eoin Reid from Fernhill Garden Centre, said they became involved in the event so that they could “one last time raise a cheque for St Lukes.”
Jimmy Duffy says the route of the Poker Run will be from Mullingar to Longford and then back to Athlone. “We are currently investigating the possibility of being allowed to drive through the town of Athlone in memory of Colin, which should be a nice gesture for his family and friends, especially if we get a nice fine day,” he says.
Poignantly, the Poker Run will pass by the offices of the Colm Quinn Group, where the late Colin Kelly was a treasured employee for many years.
Registration for the Poker Run will take place on the morning of August 29 next and the event will get underway at 11am from the Road House on the Kinnegad Road in Mullingar.