Insurance hurdles force cancellation of world’s longest coffee ‘morning’ event

THE annual longest coffee ‘morning’ in the world which has raised over €100,000 for the Irish Cancer Society in 10 years has been cancelled as the organisers have been unable to secure insurance for the event.

The much-anticipated coffee ‘morning’ was due to take place this Friday at Mike O’Donoghue’s home in Dromlara, Pallasgreen. Mr O'Donoghue said he couldn't get insurance and “tried, and tried and tried” but was unsuccessful.

“Eventually, we had to make a decision what we were going to do because we had to notify people that we weren't going ahead with it. We're still going ahead with selling daffodils in shops and schools and all that, but the coffee day in the house is gone because we don't have insurance to cover us in the house.”

He said the team involved in the fundraiser are devastated by its cancellation. “We're all devastated as it's worse than a death in the family because this will be our eleventh year, and it's part and parcel of who we are now... We're like a phoenix. We'll rise from the ashes again.”

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Mr O'Donoghue is planning to hold the event later this June and hopes to organise a marquee outside his house instead of holding the event indoors but said he was “absolutely gutted” to have to cancel the event scheduled for this Friday. “Not just gutted for myself but gutted for the fact that the girls that are involved with me and my team are also gutted and they had all planned to be there on the day.”

As a cancer survivor himself, Mr O'Donoghue established the event along with local women Saoirse Corbett, Tara Campbell, Sarah Dillon in 2015. “All the group have been affected by cancer so we wanted to give something back,” he explained.

In 2019, they received a certificate after creating a world record for the longest coffee day ever in the world - 17 hours and 20 minutes. They even kept the fundraiser going through Covid by substituting the coffee ‘morning’ for a sleep-out and fast. “When Covid hit us in 2020, we had to cancel our coffee day but we never gave up,” said Mr O'Donoghue. “We did that at our local church grounds for 2021 and 2022 until Covid was lifted.”

St Anthony's Nursing Home in Pallasgreen is holding its annual coffee day this Friday which is usually held in conjunction with Mr O'Donoghue's event. He added: “What they make comes to us... so if anyone wants to go up and have a cup of coffee there, they can.”

Mr O'Donoghue added that the coffee ‘morning’ fundraiser means the world to the Irish Cancer Society. “It means the world to each of the group who have been affected (by) cancer.”