At the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) stand (no. 666!!) at the National Ploughing Championships there will be a raffle with first prize a pedigree Friesian heifer while at another stand another heifer, a Simmental, will be raffled with proceeds also going to the charity. Both heifers were donated by grateful kidney transplant recipient farmers.
The Friesian heifer for which raffle tickets can be purchased at the IKA stand has been kindly donated by father and son Larry and Kieran Dunican from Horseleap, Co Westmeath. Larry is a kidney transplant recipient and his wife Eileen is the Treasurer of the Westmeath branch of the Irish Kidney Association. When the Ploughing Championships took place two years ago, the Dunicans donated another heifer which was in calf for the IKA raffle. Second prize at this year’s raffle is a Karcher K 5 power cleaner and third prize is 2 nights and breakfast for two staying at Lough Rynn Castle.
A raffle for another heifer will take place at the Irish Simmental Society stand where the animal will be displayed. Suckler farmer Liam Martin from Templederry in Nenagh, kindly donated the heifer to raise funds for the irish Kidney Association and increase organ donor awareness. His son Darren donated a kidney to him in April 2015 (when Darren was just 25 years old). Liam will also be entering his prized plough bull in competition. Liam plans to travel back and forth to the ploughing championships for the three days while his kidney donor son will not be able to attend as he is working in Germany. Photos are attached of Liam with the heifer and another photo attached is of Liam with his kidney donor son Darren.
Liam enjoys attending the ploughing championships every year and in fact when he was waiting for a kidney transplant he turned down an important hospital appointment in order to attend the ploughing instead but it was rescheduled for a few days later. Prior to Liam’s kidney transplant, Darren turned down a university place in Austria to do his Masters as he was concerned for his father who had been quite unwell with dialysis treatment which he commenced on Christmas eve 2012 and instead decided to put himself forward for the living donation process.