Team Spirit – How One Donegal Woman Keeps Her Late Husband’s Memory Alive

There’s more to a sports club than the close calls, match-winning points and tense final seconds of a game.

In fact, for many in Ireland, their local sports club is all about forming friendships, making a difference and bringing the community together.

That is precisely how Mary Doherty sees her local football club in Carndonagh, Co. Donegal. For her, it’s more than just a sports club. It’s a way of remembering her husband Mickey who sadly passed away from chronic lymphatic leukaemia in April 2009 after being diagnosed two years previously aged 35.

Before his death Mickey was heavily involved in the football club at all different levels. “He started off as a player in the club,” Mary explained.

“Then he was on the committee and he was the secretary. He also got ‘Club Person Of The Year’ on two separate occasions and managed the under-18 soccer team. He was very much involved up until he died.”

It’s for that reason that every year the club, with the help of Mary and her family, hold a competition at Christmas to raise money.

“The fundraiser we did is an annual thing and it takes place at the Carndonagh Football Club at Christmas. Each year they do it for different charities and after Mickey died they ran the competition in his memory. There’s even a Mickey Newman - that was his nickname - Memorial Cup.”

As well as raising money, the event means a lot to Mary and her children: “We are very proud and we’re still all involved in the club; my sons and my daughter. It’s a great honour for us that they are now running this competition which goes over five days between Christmas and New Year.”

She added that it also benefits the community as a whole: “It’s a way of keeping young people out of the pub and active during that week when there’s not a lot to do. It keeps young people interested in sport and doing something for charity that’s going to benefit others.”

“It’s a real community event and it brings a lot of people together.It’s very important for my kids that their daddy is remembered and it helps to keep his memory alive. It’s very positive.”

In association with the Irish Cancer Society’s The Big Championship initiative. To find out more how you can help fight cancer, and help your own club at the same time, just click on the logo below.