Golf-mad Ronan putts it up to Paul and pals for charity
Former Republic of Ireland star Paul McGrath, with Ronan Cahill, from Ratoath, Co Meath, during Paul's golf classic in aid of cystic fibrosis at Arklow Golf Club yesterday. Photo: Garry O'Neill
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Saturday July 17 2010
A sun-soaked golf course became a home from home for a host of sporting stars, as former Ireland international Paul McGrath led the pack for a charity golf classic.
The event, hosted by former international football star McGrath, was the brain-child of 11-year-old Ronan Cahill, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and wanted to do something to raise funds for those fighting the life-threatening condition.
The golf-mad youngster, from Ratoath in Co Meath, found himself surrounded by a bevy of famous faces at the Arklow Golf Club in Co Wicklow yesterday.
Despite being discharged from Dublin's Temple Street Children's Hospital days earlier, Ronan took to the fairways alongside McGrath, Ireland rugby hero Shane Byrne and soccer pundit Johnny Giles.
Other sports stars practising their swing included former world champion boxer Bernard Dunne and rugby players Shane Horgan and Reggie Corrigan.
The showbiz set included TV presenter Brian Ormond, actor Simon Delaney, comedian Syl Fox and celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean.
Meanwhile, singers Mary Black and Brian Kennedy joined the party last night.
While in hospital, Ronan designed special T-shirts for the classic and yesterday celebrities found the tables were turned as they queued up to get the pint-sized golfer's autograph on their shirt.
"I was in (Temple Street) for three weeks and I only got out on Tuesday," he said.
"My favourites were probably Bernard Dunne or Shane Byrne."
McGrath -- who was nicknamed 'the Black Pearl of Inchicore' when he played for St Patrick's Athletic -- recently became a patron of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI). He said that the support for yesterday's event had been incredible.
"I've chosen to support CFAI as I've witnessed firsthand, through a friend, the reality of living with CF in Ireland and why the proper facilities are so vital. If I can help in any small way to improve the quality of life for people living with CF in Ireland, I'll try my best to do so," he added.
All the money raised will go towards buying vital medical equipment for the Cystic Fibrosis unit at Temple Street.
CF is Ireland's most common life-threatening inherited disease, with one in 19 people carrying the CF gene, the highest prevalence for the condition in the world.
Despite this, there have been delays in rolling out promised isolation facilities in hospitals for CF patients.
- Breda Heffernan
Irish Independent
