The annual Tony Horan memorial tractor run in Bridgetown, Co. Clare, will take place on Sunday, October 29.
“Our first tractor run was in October 2018 in memory of my dad who passed away in February 2018,” Rosemarie Stuart said.
The late Tony Horan was a carpenter by trade. In the late 1960s, he turned his hand to butchering and opened his own business. This led to him buying land and farming as a sideline.
“In the early 1980s, he closed the butcher shop, bought a cattle truck and did a bit of dealing,” Rosemarie recounted.
“In 2002 he bought a pub in Bridgetown that he ran until death. I now own the pub and run the event in his memory, with lots of help from family and friends, collecting spot prizes and timber for the auction, organising the kids’ run and selling tickets,” she said.
‘”This year is our fifth run, having missed 2020 due to Covid. Our charity of choice this year is Embrace Farm, an organisation that helps families cope after the loss of a family member due to a farm accident, or helps people who suffer injuries in farm accidents with the costs associated with making machinery more accessible and other expenditure.”
“The beneficiaries of our previous Tony Horan memorial tractor run were: COPD support team, Ennis in 2018; Mental Health Ireland in 2019; Equine Assist Therapy and MyMove, the addiction counselling service, in 2021; and Smith O’Brien’s GAA and camogie in 2022,” she continued.
“Our event has grown each year since 2018 and has become a great family fun day out in the village.
“We have a mini tractor run for children; a magician; face painting and a big raffle, with prizes donated by local businesses. This year we also have AgriAware joining us with a pet farm,” Rosemarie said.
Vintage cars, bikes and trucks are welcome to take part in the Tony Horan tractor run.
Registration for the main event is from 11:00a.m. The run will leave the village at 1:00p.m. A food truck will be on site.
An auction will be held on the night, with two bands entertaining from 4:30p.m.