Huge crowd attend Michael Oliver McIntyre Night in Blue Haven

The Blue Haven in Kilcar was packed to capacity on Saturday night for a fund-raising dance in memory of the late, great Michael Oliver McIntyre.

The event was organised by the McIntyre family to mark the 20th anniversary of Michael Oliver’s death with the funds raised going to a very worthy cause, Donegal Palliative Care.

Posting on Facebook after the event, Michael Oliver’s daughter Claire Bonner said:

“We don’t even know where to begin in saying thank you for last night.

“The turnout truly blew us away, and we are so grateful to every single person who came along and made the night such a huge success.

“A massive thank you to both bands, Erin’s Own and Red Alert, who agreed without hesitation to be part of the night. We really appreciate you sharing your music with us all, and we wish you every continued success.

“To The Blue Haven - what a baptism of fire for Paul, Brenda and their family. No one could have anticipated such a turnout, but you handled it absolutely brilliantly. Onwards and upwards.

“Thank you to all the generous sponsors who donated prizes and to everyone who bought raffle tickets on the night. From signed jerseys to weekends away, the prizes were amazing, and we are so grateful for every donation.

“Thank you to Peter Campbell and our panel of guest speakers, it’s no easy task to speak in front of such a crowd but they did great and shared some lovely stories and memories.

“Once the final tally is complete, we’ll be back to share the total raised.

“But for now, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for coming out to remember Michael Oliver. There was so much love in the room last night, and it means the world to know that his memory lives on.”

The panel of guest speakers included John McGinley (Michael Oliver’s first cousin), Sean McGinley of Kilcar; Brian McEniff, Anthony Molloy, Barry Monaghan, Noel Dorrian, Liam McElhinney and John Joe Doherty.

Speaking at the event, Carol Ann McIntyre thanked all who helped in making the event so successful. “I want to let everyone know that the funds raised will be used to buy recliner chairs to be used in our local health centres.”

With monies still coming in it is estimated that the figure raised is closing in on €20,000, a fantastic return, testimony to the great effort put into the organising of the event.