“I'm running this marathon to remember Dad" - Conor Wynne honours Kildare dad's life

Former Otherkin lead guitarist Conor Wynne is preparing to take on his first full marathon at the Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday, October 25, in memory of his father, Brian, an accomplished musician, who died on May 1 this year, just weeks before Conor’s wedding.

He is also raising funds for the Irish Kidney Association (IKA), in recognition of the support it gave his father and family throughout his kidney disease journey. Conor and his former bandmates in Dublin indie-rock band Otherkin enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2017, when their debut album, OK, reached No. 2 in the Irish charts and they supported Guns N’ Roses at Slane Castle. Having performed to sell-out crowds across Europe, Conor is now taking on a challenge far removed from his music days, hoping to honour his father Brian’s memory while helping the Irish Kidney Association support other people living with kidney disease and their families.

For Kildare native Conor, the challenge is about much more than completing 26.2 miles in the Dublin Marathon. It is a deeply personal tribute to his father, Brian, a Westmeath native from Mullingar who later made his home in Leixlip, Co Kildare. Brian lived with end-stage kidney disease, endured dialysis and experienced the life-changing gift of a successful kidney transplant. Determined to give something back, Brian shared his experiences with medical professionals at the request of his treating consultant nephrologist at Tallaght University Hospital, Prof. Catherine Wall, to help inform the care of other kidney patients. He also served as the renal patient representative on a hospital dietitian committee.

The youngest of Terry and Brian Wynne’s three children, Conor was raised alongside his siblings, Keith and Karen, in Leixlip, where his parents made their family home. Brian was managing director of the music distribution company Record Services and a trumpet player with popular bands Route 66 and The Imperial Imps, as well as the Mullingar Town Band.

Conor now lives in Castleknock, Co. Dublin, with his new wife, Lana, a Belfast native. The couple married on May 30 this year, marking a happy new chapter in Conor’s life. As he comes to terms with his father’s death, Conor is preparing for the marathon while navigating a year marked by both joy and profound loss.

“I'm running this marathon to remember Dad, to thank the Irish Kidney Association for the support it gave him and continues to give other patients and families, and to help others living through similar experiences,” Conor said.

Brian lived with declining kidney function for many years and began dialysis treatment in August 2018. Dialysis became a regular part of his life and his family’s routine until his transplant in October 2022.

Initially, the regular hospital visits for haemodialysis were disruptive, and an attempt at home dialysis proved unsuccessful. Brian therefore had to travel from his home in Leixlip to Tallaght University Hospital three times a week for treatment. Over time, however, he found companionship and solace among his fellow patients, forming bonds with people who understood what he was going through.

Brian had often wondered whether the call for a transplant would ever come. Several members of the family explored the possibility of donating a kidney, including Conor, who shared his father’s blood group. Unfortunately, they were not a tissue match, a deep disappointment for Conor.

When a transplant opportunity finally arose, the family suffered another disappointing setback. Brian was already in Beaumont Hospital, home of the National Kidney Transplant Service, dressed in his hospital gown and preparing to go to the theatre, when he was informed that tumours had been discovered on the donated kidney and the transplant could not proceed.

Despite the disappointment and his thoughts about the grieving donor family, Brian picked himself up and kept going.

Then, at the end of October 2022, the phone rang again. This time, a suitable kidney became available, thanks to the generosity of a deceased donor and their family, whose decision made Brian’s transplant possible.

The transplant was successful, transforming Brian’s life and bringing renewed hope to the entire family. They remain profoundly grateful to the donor and their family for the precious gift of those additional three and a half years together, during which Brian regained his energy and enthusiasm for life and made memories with his loved ones that they will always treasure.

“The transplant was successful, and the years that followed were everything we had hoped for,” Conor recalled. “The dad we knew was back, full of energy, vitality and a renewed lust for life. He returned to his passion for music, playing with Route 66 once again.”

Those years following Brian’s successful transplant brought precious opportunities that the family had once feared might never come. Brian and his wife, Terry, travelled together, taking cruises around the world and revisiting Germany, where they had lived during their early years together. For the family, the transplant brought a renewed sense of freedom and the opportunity to enjoy life without the constant weight of worry that had accompanied Brian’s illness.

Conor and his family will always treasure those years, brief as they were, and remain profoundly grateful for the precious time they were given together.

In 2021, Brian appeared in an RTÉ documentary as a dialysis patient during Covid, offering an insight into the realities of living with kidney failure during an exceptionally challenging period for dialysis patients categorised as ‘high risk’. In December 2025, after contracting Covid, his health deteriorated sharply. He subsequently faced a series of serious complications, including infections, cancerous growths, sepsis and delirium, as well as surgery. Conor described it as “an extraordinarily difficult period for our family as we faced the uncertainty of his condition.”

Despite the efforts of his medical team and the support of his family, Brian never recovered and died on May 1, aged 75, leaving his family to navigate a profound loss at a time when Conor was preparing for his wedding and beginning a new chapter of his life.

Since his days with Otherkin, Conor has built a career as a creative technologist, at Verve Live Agency. Now a newlywed, he is preparing to take on a very different challenge from those he once faced on stage: running his first full marathon in memory of his father and to support other families affected by kidney disease.

“Dad never got to see me, his youngest son, marry or step inside our new home. This year has held some of the greatest highs of my life, alongside its deepest loss,” Conor said. “The marathon offers a way to honour his memory while acknowledging the support that helped him and our family through years of illness and treatment.”

“It is my way of putting one foot in front of the other as I learn to live without him, carrying him with me while building a life he would have been proud of.”

Conor is raising funds for the Irish Kidney Association through his participation in the 2026 Irish Life Dublin Marathon. To support his fundraising efforts, visit: Fundraising page of Conor Wynne