Hurling fundraiser this weekend honours Limerick man who died in Greece

A SPECIAL fundraiser will take place in Kildimo this weekend to celebrate the life of the late Darren Whelan, who tragically died after a fall in Greece.

This Saturday from 2pm, the 23-year-old's home club of Kildimo-Pallaskenry GAA will open the gates of its Kildimo clubhouse for the first staging of the Jimmy Nealon Perpetual Cup in honour of Darren Whelan.

There'll be a seven-a-side hurling tournament, with the panels managed by friends of Darren's, while All-Star Limerick hurler and clubmate Kyle Hayes will present the trophy to the winner.

Six teams will participate, and will play three games each.

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Entry to the event is free, and there will be a barbecue and refreshments.

A raffle and a 'Split the Pot' contest will take place with the proceeds split between Headway, the brain injury charity, and Kildimo-Pallaskenry GAA Club.

One of the organisers Danny O'Sullivan said: "It'll be a fun day for our junior and senior hurlers. We have a new trophy for it. Jimmy Nealon was a former Kildimo/Pallaskenry hurler. When his family found out we were planning this, they offered to sponsor the cup. It'll be a bit of craic. Everyone is going to be involved."

The idea for the event came from a group of his friends and mentors at the West Limerick side, and it's hoped that it can turn into an annual tradition.

Danny thanked the local businesses which have supported Saturday's event.

He said Darren, who died in 2021, is never far away from the community's minds.

"He was such a young energetic guy. One of his best friends was Kyle Hayes, and his group of friends are a really tight knit group. Every second game, we'd be talking about him, Let's do this for Darren and things like that. So it is still very close to us," he said.

As well as Kyle, it's expected the club's other senior inter-county stars will make an appearance - Darren O'Connell and Barry O'Connell have been on the Treaty's All-Ireland winning panel.

While when it comes to the big ball, Tony McCarthy, Peter Nash and Cathal Downes fly the Kildimo-Pallaskenry flag at county level.

People attending the event on Saturday are asked to bring cash, as there will be no card machines in operation.

For more information, click here.

Alternatively, you can telephone Danny at 087-0921581.