Charity event in memory of popular Claudy man raises more than £8,000

The family of a Claudy man who passed away suddenly in 2021 have raised more than £8,000 in his memory for a local charity.

Conor Donaghy (pictured below) had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart muscle – and was being treated for it before his death.

The popular digger driver, known affectionately as 'Conor D' or 'Horse', passed away at home on August 9, 2021.

The 42 year-old's death sent shockwaves across the local community as his death came 40 years and one day exactly after the death of his late father, Michael James, who passed away at the age of 43 from heart failure.

Following Conor's death, his nephew and godson, Ruairi McBride decided he wanted to hold a fundraiser in his memory.

While working in England, Ruairi came up with the idea for a memorial tractor and truck run.

“Conor was a massive personality, everyone thought a lot of him and he was very kind so I felt the right thing to do was to do something charitable that would help others to remember him,” said Ruairi.

With the help of Conor's brother John, Ruairi, who is from Draperstown, set about organising the event to take place in Magherafelt on October 2 2022 in aid of Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.

The day itself proved to be a massive success with 87 vehicles attending, including Conor's own digger which he drove for his employer L Loughran & Son.

The Loup-based firm brought Conor's digger on the back of their lorry to the event, which raised a massive £8,014.

A presentation night was held in McKeever's Bar in Claudy on January 28 and proceeds on the night boosted the final total to £8,765.79.

Ruairi said he was delighted with the turnout on the day of the tractor and truck run and also the amount raised.

“It was brilliant, especially for the first year. We would like to make it an annual event and hopefully this year it'll be bigger,” he said.

Describing Conor as a 'gentle giant', Ruairi said the fundraiser was a fitting tribute to his much-loved uncle and godfather.

“Conor was always the loudest person in the room, he was the life and soul of the party everywhere he went. He was always smiling and was always happy. Nobody ever seen him in a bad mood or down. He was very caring and gentle and was often described as a gentle giant,” he said.

“When it came to my granny Gabrielle, his mother, who he lived at home with, she was everything to him. They were very close.

“When Conor was very young, his father, Michael James passed away when he was 43 with heart failure. It turned out that Conor died 40 years and one day after his father did. The both of them died at home, the both of them died with heart failure. It was just a bit like history repeating itself for my granny. It's been very hard on her so she was delighted with the amount raised in Conor's memory.”

Extending his thanks to everyone who supported the fundraiser, Ruairi said he couldn't have done it without the help of his uncle John.

“Thank you to everyone that turned out and supported us,” he continued.

“A massive thank you especially to Conor's brother, my uncle John. Whenever I came up with the idea for the truck run, I was working in England and I thought about it the whole time I was over there. When I came home I rang him one night at about 10 or 11 o'clock and told him about my idea. From the word go he was absolutely brilliant. He never turned down the challenge. Many a night he would have rang me at one or two in the morning saying he had come up with ideas. John was a massive help and he's an absolute credit to Conor. The two of them were inseparable. It's actually turned out that John has the same condition that Conor had but he has been treated now and he is recovering, he's getting there but still losing his wee brother was very hard on him. His hard work is a credit to the relationship him and Conor had,” added Ruairi.