The Midland Motorcycle Club hopes to break the magic million in fundraising next month in just its 14th year as a tribute to its founder, Loretto Farrell.
The charity biker group was started by the inspirational mother-of-two Loretto Farrell to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin, and to date has raised an astonishing €918,000.
Each year between 300 and 400 bikers take part in a sponsored three-day motorcycle run across the south of the country, finishing in Athlone, on the last weekend in June to raise funds.
Last year the charity raised a very respectable €30,000, and though a repeat of this figure next month would see the charity fall a bit short of its intended target, Loretto is hoping 2013 is a little closer to the 2005 figure, when the run took in an astounding €130,000 for St Luke’s.
“I certainly feel hopeful by the efforts of all the participants we’ll get close enough. They’re all doing brilliantly,” said Loretto, who then went on to praise the efforts of the extended club in Ballymahon, Birr, and Navan who will also be fundraising this year with quizzes, ceilidhs, trike rides, and parachute jumps.
Last year the club raised €4,000 alone when it attempted a world record on the Joe Dolan Bridge in Mullingar for the greatest number of bikers on a bridge at one time, but fell a little short with 460. However, the club intend to do so again this year as part of the Gathering 2013.
The charity run has won many awards to date, but no finer tribute than in 2009 when one of the bucket collectors, Aisling, went into labour in Tralee and gave birth to the appropriately-named Luke.
“There’s a lot of history, but the real history of the run will be all the people we’ve helped in St Luke’s,” said Loretto, who herself was one of these people in 1998 and 2005, before she quietly declared: “This will probably be my last one”.
This year’s run leaves Moate on June 27, and all details can be found on www.lukethebiker.com
