Local amateur jockeys to make the leap into the big time at Punchestown

Three Meath riders will participate in a unique fund charity race which takes this Saturday at the Punchestown Racing festival.

The trio, Paul Dempsey, John Molloy and Aoife Martha Kiernan are among 25 amateurs who will take part in the 32nd running of the “Have the conversation – Say yes to Organ Donation” Charity Race.

There was 71 applicants for this year’s event and this has been reduced to the final list of 25 lucky jockeys.

They will enjoy the ultimate privilege of taking part in this year’s National Hunt Racing Festival in front of 30,000 people.

All the jockeys have been to RACE, the apprentice school in Co Kildare, where they all had to complete and pass the fitness and competency assessment in order to qualify to take part on the big day.

Paul Dempsey is more of a runner than a jockey. A Limerick man living in Meath, he ran three marathons last year in an elite runners time. Paul has represented Ireland in Senior International three Day Eventing and last took part back in 2016. He will be well looked after by the Gavin Cromwell yard.

John Molloy runs the busy Molloy and Sherry Transport company and is a keen horse breeder, but is really excited about being a jockey for a day. His wife also took part in the race six years ago.

Aoife Martha Kiernan has never been shy of a challenge in her spare time, having completed an iron man triathlon last year. Aoife grew up around horses and trained as a nurse so has always wanted to merge both and complete a charity race. In preparation, Aoife is riding out for Noel Meade six mornings a week.

The Punchestown Charity Race started in 1990 and has raised €1.7 million to date.

The race raises funds for kidney related projects as well as raising Organ Donor Awareness in Ireland.

They provide funds to projects that improve the quality of life for patients on dialysis and transplant recipient and projects that try to identify the causes that lead to kidney failure.

2022 was a phenomenal year for the charity race and they managed to raise a record €93,576.55

Leinster and Ireland rugby player James Tracy raised an additional €21,925.74 from his brave February Freezebury Challenge.

"This means the total raised as raised for 2022 is €115,502.29 which puts the cumulative total raised to date at €1,702,677.29 to date which is incredible." says Cliona Costello, the Meath woman who finished in fourth place in last year's race.

"Along with that we also managed to create a huge amount of Organ Donor Awareness last April, which is so important to give hope to all the patients waiting on a life-saving organ transplant.

During the past year the charity supported a pilot Peer Support program and also an exercise program for kidney patients.

"We continued our research into Polycystic Kidney Disease in partnership with the Irish Nephrology Society under the guidance of the Irish Research Council.

"We continued our support for our Art Therapy programs for Dialysis Patients in Tallaght and Waterford Dialysis Units and continued our support for our Sports Program for Dialysis & Transplant Patients."

Ultimately the message from James Nolan, Chairman of The Punchestown Kidney Research Fund is to please have the conversation about Organ Donation with your family and loved ones.

"Please don’t take your Organs to Heaven – as Heaven knows we need them here on Earth."

Johnstown woman, Cliona Costello, was one of those who took part in last year's event.

Cliona’s dad, John Costello, received a donor kidney in October 2021 as part of a paired exchange and Cliona's mum, Grainne, in turn donated a kidney to a stranger.

“It is a great scheme and without it Dad would now be on dialysis,” she says.

“Not many people are aware of the programme, but the charity race made people aware of it,” she said.

She points out that one in eight people aged over 50 in Ireland has chronic kidney disease.

“It is projected to become the fifth leading cause of premature death globally by 2040. You are three times more likely to need an organ donation than to give one,” she says.