A raffle with a Limousin heifer as second prize being held to raise funds for a Leitrim clubhouse has captured the public’s imagination, with tickets being bought around the country and abroad.
The heifer has been donated by Padraig and Claire McLoughlin, who are offering the winner the chance to sell it at the mart or leave it on their land.
Anne Macklin of the Mohill park sports and leisure committee said that Mohill park sport and leisure and Mohill GAA are raising funds for a new clubhouse, dressing rooms and gym facilities at Philly McGuinness Park, Mohill.
“We launched our ‘win a car for Mohill clubhouse raffle’ earlier this year with the intention of raising €80-100,000,” she said.
“When we were considering the prizes we were initially focused on the first prize which was a car – an Opel Corsa from the main car dealership in Mohill which is Central Motors.
“Northwest Timber and Tiles, a local business run by Cormac and Barbara McManus, donated a €500 voucher for timber flooring or tiles or €500 cash equivalent. Lough Rynn Castle Estate and Gardens is Mohill GAA club’s main sponsor and it donated €500 voucher to spend in the fabulous hotel,” Anne said.
Leitrim heifer raffle
“Padraig McLoughlin, who is chairman of our fundraising committee and a local farmer, offered to donate a heifer to the group as a prize,” Anne continued.
“Little did we know that this heifer was going to generate such an interest up and down the country and abroad.
“[This is] thanks to freelance TV presenter and reporter with QVC Jackie Kabler and her mum who gave us a massive boost in the last week with her funny Tweet about the heifer and the floor, and tweeted that it was the best raffle ever.
“Her Tweet was seen over 200,000 times and she had people commenting from as far as New Zealand and the US, all because her mother found our raffle flyer on her car,” Anne said.
Jackie quipped that her mother lives in an apartment without a garden and pondered what she would do if she won the heifer.
“The non-farming community is intrigued as to what the winner will do with the heifer. Padraig being the generous farmer that he is, has kindly offered various options for the winner if they do not wish to take the heifer to their own land.
“They can go to the local mart with Padraig where they can sell the heifer and get the cheque made out in their name. They can choose to leave the animal on Padraig and Claire’s farm and they will look after it until such time as the new owner wants to sell it.
“The heifer will be increasing in value for the winner. Padraig has agreed that the winner can come visit the animal on his farm as often as they like. So winning the heifer becomes a very attractive option for ticket buyers.
“As we go door-to-door at the moment selling tickets, we are getting a great reaction and almost everyone has heard about the infamous heifer,” said Anne.
Mohill build
The raffle will bring in much needed funds, Anne said. “The new development will replace the old dressing rooms which are no longer fit for purpose.
“The present dressing rooms are almost 50 years old and although updated and painted a number of times, because there is no insulation and they have a corrugated roof, the dampness and mould continues to be a problem.”
“Mohill is a very successful club, the current Leitrim senior football champions and league winners. It has been very successful over the past number of years winning four of its five county finals since 2006 and is playing in the county semi-final of the senior championship this weekend,” Anne added.
“Mohill Ladies GFC are the current intermediate county champions. We also have a very successful Bord na nÓg with over 250 members from our under-6s to our under-17s, which incorporates our neighbouring underage clubs of Cloone and Eslin.
“Unfortunately, as a club and a community, we do not have a clubhouse or dressing rooms fit for purpose.
“This development will serve not only the young players and community members of today but also many future generations of players and members of our community. This development will be a legacy for the kids of the future.”
Tickets cost €20 each or three for €50. There are online specials of ten for €100; 40 for €250 and 100 for €500.
“We are currently fundraising to ensure that this project is completed on time and the loan secured to fund the remainder of the development cost is cleared on completion of the project. To achieve this, the aim of our fundraising campaign is to raise €100,000.
“€50,000 was raised by ‘Mohill Does Strictly’ in 2015, ringfenced for match funding for LEADER application. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we eventually got funded by LEADER, securing a grant of €300,000.
“There’s a shortfall of €80,000 – €100,000. Our aim is to pay off this debt by the time the building is completed,” Anne said.
“With a successful club comes high running costs and in order to keep the club afloat we have to continuously fundraise through lottos, bingo, or asking for donations from local businesses.
“So when a large project like this comes along it impacts on the club’s weekly fundraising activities. We are trying to appeal to an audience which also expands into the wider community and the wider business community.
“In a rural community like Mohill this is challenging as we do not have any corporate business or big industries that can sponsor us so we are continuously tapping the same small local businesses for donations.
“We have some great sponsorship opportunities for businesses in the community to be part of this new and exciting project and promote their business at the same time,” Anne continued.
“We propose to have a donor recognition wall which will display the names of all businesses and donors who have sponsored the development. These names will be displayed on the wall of the development indefinitely and will be colour coded, depending on the amount of sponsorship.”
Anne expressed appreciation to all local businesses that are loyal in their continuous support of the club and of the project; the community of Mohill and all the surrounding parishes that have supported door-to-door ticket sales.
“This development will be a huge asset to the community of Mohill and to the Mohill GAA football club and will benefit the people of this community for the next 50 years,” she said.