Munster Bovine is proud to announce its role as the main sponsor for the upcoming Jeremiah Ronayne Memorial Cycle in aid of Marymount Hospital which is due to start on Saturday 31st August.

Jeremiah Ronayne late of Lavally, Mallow Co. Cork was a passionate dairy farmer and involved himself in all aspects of voluntary life in his local community, but sadly lost his brave battle with cancer late last year.

 

The huge loss experienced by a group of Jeremiah’s farmer friends led them to taking on the challenge of cycling from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork to raise funds for Marymount Hospice where Jeremiah and his family received such wonderful care.

26 members of Jeremiah’s local community have been out cycling the highways and byways of north Cork to get ready for the epic challenge, which is taking place the first week of September.

Jeremiah was not someone to shy away from a challenge that involved physical activity, purpose and above all, fun.

Cycling the length of Ireland requires all those things: almost 700km of physical exercise, a target of raising €50,000 for Marymount and all in a spirit of enjoyment.

Jeremiah’s community involvement extended beyond farming. He was a highly effective communicator and leader with Toastmasters International.

He held the position of President of the Speakeasy Club in Mallow; he was instrumental in setting up Killarney Toastmasters and Canary Wharf Communicators in London.

 

Jeremiah’s leadership in Toastmasters saw him becoming the District Governor of Ireland and the UK.

His influence within the organisation culminated in being conference director for an all-Ireland/UK event that was held in Mallow, where over 500 delegates attended. No mean achievement.

One of Jeremiah’s greatest passions, was the GAA, and particularly with Clyda Rovers.

As with all his other endeavours, he brought huge energy, community spirit and positivity to Clyda. When his own children became involved with the GAA, Jeremiah took on the role of chair of Clyda’s juvenile club.

During the years 2012 to 2014, he was chair of the senior club, a time when Clyda won the county and Munster intermediate football title.

Jeremiah’s second stint as chair of the senior club was between 2019 until the time of his illness in 2022.

Clyda made its own bit of history in that time when in 2019, they took the junior hurling title for the first time in 30 years.

These were all proud moments for Jeremiah, and none was prouder than to see his nephew and Clyda member, Ray Carey, win an All-Ireland football medal in 2010 with Cork

Cycle fundraiser

The goal of this fundraising initiative is to not only to raise funds for Marymount Hospice, but also to honour the memory of Jeremiah.

CEO of Munster Bovine, Martin Kavanagh, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership:

“We are honoured to support the Jeremiah Ronayne Memorial Cycle in its mission to raise funds for Marymount Hospice which has helped so many families in our farming community.

“Jeremiah’s story reminds us of the devastating impact which cancer has and also reminds us how hospice services such as Marymount are so crucial as people face the toughest time in their lives.

“We are excited to see the community come together for such an important cause. We encourage all of our farmer customers to support this initiative and help Jeremiah’s friends reach their goal,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the group of Mallow farmers who have embarked on this fundraiser, Tony O’Regan said:

“On behalf of the cycling group we are very appreciative of the sponsorship they have received to date from businesses, from friends and the wider community.

“All funds raised will go directly to Marymount and all expenses involved in the cycle are covered by the cyclists.

“The aim is to raise €50,000 and what a fitting tribute it would be to our wonderful friend Jeremiah if we could reach this target.”

Donations to this worthy cause can be made by clicking here