PICTURES: Mayor of Limerick's charity dinner raises €30,000 for cancer awareness

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Mayor of Limerick, John Moran has presented a cheque of €30,000 to the Marie Keating Foundation. 

The donation is from the proceeds of the Mayor’s Charity Dinner, which was held in May 2025 in the Limerick Strand Hotel. 

The proceeds of the cheque came from the dinner itself and additional funds contributed anonymously directly to the charity by attendees on the night. The successful fundraiser was also in no small way contributed to by a range of generous in-kind or monetary gifts ranging up to €5,000 from attendees or those who were unable to attend on the night. 

Mayor Moran, who himself survived bowel cancer, personally chose the Marie Keating Foundation as the charity partner for this year to work on early detection and awareness of bowel cancer. 

A theme of ‘Celebrating Limerick’ was chosen for the event, with a particular spotlight on Limerick’s film industry and music performers.  

More than 430 guests attended the sold-out event on the evening, including the families of the Mayor and his partner Damien, Limerick’s civic leaders, who supported the cause not only through their presence but also by buying their own tickets, the respective Lord Mayors of both Belfast and Cork and the Chair of the Southern Regional Assembly. 

Each item on the menu was designed around one or more local Limerick producers, reflecting a significant commitment to supporting the Limerick food sector in the More for Limerick 2024-2029 Mayoral Programme.  

Mayor of Limerick, John Moran, said of the presentation: “As Mayor of Limerick, it is both a personal and professional honour to present these much-needed funds to the Marie Keating Foundation from the proceeds of our 2025 Charity Dinner. As someone who knows what it means to confront cancer, the Foundation’s work resonates profoundly with me. Their tireless work in raising awareness, supporting patient, and promoting early detection touches my heart in a way that is difficult to convey. The funds that have been presented to the Foundation will now be spent on raising awareness and early detection right here in Limerick of bowel cancer in particular and helping to fund preventative screening for those who cannot afford it themselves. I want to acknowledge the generosity of all who contributed to this amazing outcome.” 

CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation, Liz Yeates, added: “We are hugely grateful to Mayor John Moran, as well as the individuals and businesses that contributed to this donation. They have shown extraordinary generosity in raising €30,000, which will allow us at the Marie Keating Foundation to expand our life‑saving awareness and support programmes, ensuring more families have access to vital information and compassionate care.” 

 The next annual Mayor’s Charity Dinner is scheduled for Friday, April 17th, 2026.