The heart of the community was beating strong at the weekend's Glenahulla 4 mile run, as people from Glenahulla, Mitchelstown and further afield ran, jogged and walked in the event which raised €1,410 for a defribillator at Glenahulla NS.

The money raised is enough to purchase the defibrillator, which could save lives in the future and also to train the staff on how to use it. Almost 100 people of all ages took part in the event, with participants running, jogging, walking and even bringing along buggies and dogs on leads.

Despite the inclement weather since the weekend, the glorious sunshine blasted down as people crossed the finish line, before they went into the school hall for some much needed refreshments.

Chairman of the parents' association Dan Hanley, said it was a great event, which really showcased the community spirit of people in the area, as 98 people took part and many more generously donated.

"It brought life to the crossroads - there was a fantastic sense of the community and because of the ring route that was chosen, it was very scenic," he told The Avondhu.

The first of the men to cross the finish line was Tom Blackburn, while Sean Shanahan came second and Pa O'Brien came third while with the women, Ellen Hanley came first, Julie Tideswell came second and Ann Dalton came third, Maeve Lee was the first girl to cross the line and Alfie Carey was the first boy.

Dan said that the event would not have been possible without a number of people. These included Tom Blackburn who brought his expertise and knowledge on the day to give the 4 mile event a touch of professional finesse, Gerard O'Sullivan who captured the day's events in wonderful pictures, the Principal of Glenahulla NS for facilitating the event, Reidy's SuperValu in Mitchelstown, The Treasure Chest, Adva Sign, Printman, Country Clean, Kildorrery GAA, the McGrath family who provided ample parking on the day, the O'Doherty's, Ger O'Keeffe, the Gardai, first aiders from the school, the stewards and everyone who helped out in any way to ensure that the event ran smoothly and was a success.

Dan said the event was such a resounding success that he hopes they will run it again. The parents' association hope to purchase the defibrillator in the next two weeks with the hope of having it in place for the AGM on October 21.

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