Our neighbouring ‘Cookstown 100’ has just been and gone and the past week has now seen our landmark ‘Cairde 100’ reached and passed. There are now 103 people on board with Cairde Chill Dreasa, the fund-raising initiative that’s central to our planned Ionad Pobail Chill Dreasa/Kildress Community Hub at Gortacladdy. Cairde is currently bringing in over £2,000 a month and our Development Funds total now stands at just over £82,000. Alongside our Cairde Members we have 13 Pátrúin Chill Dreasa who have each committed to gift £5,000 to our project.

It’s a brilliant start but we have a long way to go, both in numbers and time. If we can double our Cairde membership to 200, and if everyone stayed with us for ten years, then we would jointly generate £480,000 (to which we could add some money returned to us by the Tax Man under the Gift Aid process). We’d also hope more Patrúin Chill Dreasa will sign up with us. That all adds up to serious money. But we’re facing into a serious project where it’s all going to be needed.

Currently our Community Hub project is out to tender as part of the Rural Development Programme’s grant-aid process, leading to a formal grant application by us before the end of June.

Finally, our 100th Cairde Member is Fran Loughran. Twenty years ago this week Fran was part of a Tyrone Minor team that was facing into an Ulster Championship replay with Down, a replay Tyrone would win on their way to an outstanding All-Ireland success. Left-corner forward on that Tyrone team was Damian Kelly, who is also a Cairde Member.

Winners all. Help our Wolfe Tones Club to be a winner and join Cairde. You’ll be in good company:

Cairde Chill Dreasa

Sean and Caroline Beggs, Shane Bradley, Eoin Brannigan, Sean Brannigan, Cathy Connolly, Barney Conway, Catherine Conway, Darren Conway, Mark Conway, Mary Conway, Pody Conway, Ryan and Aislinn Conway, Frankie Corey, Roseanne Cumiskey, John and Colette Daly, Brian Devlin, Paddy Devlin, Conleth Donnelly, Eugene Doyle, Lennie and Roisin Foster, Gerard Grimes, Martin Grimes, Donna Hagan, Niall and Michaela Harte, Aloysius Heagney, Gerry Heagney, Mark Heagney ABC, Paula and Brian Heagney, Raymould Heagney, Gary Kane, Des and Anne Keenan, Eileen Keenan, Feargal Keenan, Martin Keenan, Damian Kelly, Kieran Kelly, Shane Kelly, Jim Lagan, Tony Lagan, Eileen Leadon, Anna Lennon, Eimear Lennon, Philip Lennon, Adrian Loughran, Anthony Loughran, Barry Loughran, Colum Loughran, Fran Loughran, Jarleth Loughran, Martin and Julie Loughran, Adrian McAleer, Eileen McCallion, Michael McCallion, Donna McCrory, Joan McCrory, Sean McCrory, Barry McCullagh, Helen McCullagh, Sean McCullagh, Damian McElduff, Eoghan McElduff, Joseph McElduff, Michael McElhatton, Eoin McGarrity, Kevin McGarrity, Dominic McGurk, Don and Julie McGurk, Justin McGurk, Paddy McGurk, Kieran McHugh, Philip McKenna, Rachel McKenna, Stephen McKenna, Don McKernan, Tony McKernan, Dean McNally, Anthony McNally, Mickey McNally, Terence McNally, Caolan McNamee, Janette and Pat McRory, Cormac Monaghan, Pauric Monaghan, Paul and Imelda Muldoon, Phelim Mulgrew, Donna Mullin, Paul and Susan Mullin, Brian and Roisin Quinn, Dan Quinn, Kieran and Pauline Quinn, Marie Quinn, Sean Rafferty, Annette Rooney, Brian Stern, Paul Toner, Richard Toner, Gavan Tracey, Des and Clodagh Tracey, Matt Tracey, Michael Tracey, Sean Tracey and Pat Wilson

Pátrúin Chill Dreasa

Barry Conway, Mark Conway, Frankie Corey, Shane Devlin, Eileen and Kieran Leadon, Tony Lagan, Gerry Loughran, Jarleth Loughran/Kevin McCullagh, Raymond Loughran, Seamus McAleer, Brian McGarrity, Kevin McGarrity and Maurice O’Kane

By mark Tue 22nd May