Former Westmeath goalkeeper Eoinie Farrell to be remembered at fundraiser event next weekend

November 05, 2022

The late Eoin Farrell

The family and friends of the late Eoin ‘Eoinie’ Farrell are set to hold a 5K fundraising event in his memory next Saturday, November 12th at 12pm.

'Eoinie' was a member of Westmeath's 2000 Leinster MFC-winning team and the event in his memory takes place at Ardnagrath, Co Westmeath, which will raise funds for the South Westmeath Hospice in Athlone.

He passed away in early July and had a prominent involvement in Gaelic Football as a player, mentor and administrator. In his teens, he starred in underage successes for Maryland/Tang, and was goalkeeper for the Marist College Athlone team that lost out to Good Counsel in the 1999 Leinster Senior A Football final.

An undoubted career highlight was being goalkeeper on the Leinster MFC minor winning side in 2000. A stirring comeback ended in a 2-9 to 1-10 victory over Dublin in the final.

Eoinie continued through to play u-21 with Westmeath, whilst also playing in a number of Sigerson Cup campaigns for Athlone IT between 2000 and 2005. Having featured initially as a goalkeeper for his club Maryland at adult level, he later changed to an outfield role.

Intermediate Championship final losses after replays in 1999 and 2006 were finally atoned for in 2008 when Maryland defeated Ballynacargy by one point, after another replay of course. His form in that campaign saw him feature for Westmeath in the O’Byrne Cup in 2009.

In between playing for Maryland, Eoinie’s travels also saw him feature for the Westmeath club in New York, John McBrides in Chicago and Wellington GAA in New Zealand. After finishing playing in 2016, Eoinie acted as a selector to Westmeath Minor footballers in 2019 and 2020. He took up the role of treasurer of Maryland/Tang at the start of 2019 and continued in the role right up to his passing. He also acted as a mentor to the club’s u-15 team for 2020.

South Westmeath Hospice will be the beneficiaries of the event, as all funds raised will go towards the hospice service in Athlone. Paying tribute to the care Eoinie received in the hospice, the organisers have highlighted that the services provided offer some relief in the toughest of times. 

The run/walk will start and end at Ardnagrath National School, and will take place on a route that was close to Eoinie’s heart. Eoinie was a past pupil of Ardnagrath NS, and the 5K also takes in the home he lived in, and the home he grew up in. It was a common route for him to go running, walking or cycling on, be it to improve his fitness for football, or to train for the duathlons that he took part in after retiring from playing. The date will mark what would have been his 40th birthday.

Anyone interested in taking part can register for the event through the following link:

https://forms.gle/mNrD5knpE2F3wpyK6

The cost of entry is €15 for an individual or €25 for a family, with people of all fitness levels welcome to take part. Parking on the day will be provided for at Maryland GAA pitch (N37 WP26), with a free shuttle service operating on the day to bring participants between Maryland and Ardnagrath. There will be refreshments provided after the event also.

As Eoinie had family and friends in all parts of the world, there will be some doing the event in their own location and donating. This, and any general donation can be given through the link:

http://www.idonate.ie/eoiniefarrell5k

All donations, no matter how big or small, will be greatly welcomed.

For more information on the event, you can follow updates on the dedicated facebook page entitled “Eoinie Farrell 5k Family Fun Run” or contact the organisers via the email address [email protected].


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