Greyhound stadia across Ireland have joined forces to launch a new fundraising initiative in aid of the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
The foundation was set up in honour of Dillon Quirke who collapsed during a hurling match and died of SADS on the 5th August 2022 in Semple Stadium, Thurles.
Greyhound Stadia are aiming to help raise funds over the weekend of the 31st March – Monday 3rd April which will go directly to the foundation to support the aims of the foundation. All fans are asked to wear their jerseys in honour of Dillon over that weekend and donate what they can either at the stadium or online. The hashtag JerseysAtTheDogs will be used to create awareness online and help to spread the word.
Thurles Greyhound Stadium have already started the fundraising efforts with proceeds from their car-park at the Kilkenny vs Tipperary game donated to the charity. Enniscorthy Greyhound Stadium are releasing a commemorative jersey to celebrate 90 years of greyhound racing in Wexford and have pledged one euro from the sale of the jersey one their night (Monday 3rd April) to the charity.
John Tuohey, Interim CEO of Greyhound Racing Ireland said: “Greyhound Racing Ireland has a longstanding partnership with GAA clubs across the country hosting fundraising events locally every year. There are synergies with both audiences, and we are honoured to be able to utilise our venues to help raise funds for the Dillon Quirke Foundation. Jerseys can be either club or county, the most important thing is that we get out there and show our support. ”
Commenting on The Jerseys At The Dogs fundraising initiative, Dan Quirke, Dillon Quirke Foundation said: “We are delighted to be a part of this initiative. It’s a great opportunity to work together towards something that has so much potential to make a difference to young people nationwide. The support to date from GAA fans and general public has been outstanding, and now with the help of Greyhound Racing Fans, we have the opportunity to raise additional funds to reach the goals of the foundation”.
Full details can be found www.grireland.ie/jerseysatthedogs
Jerseys at the Dogs will take place nationwide from Friday 31st March – Monday 3rd April.
Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) claims 100 young lives each year in Ireland and the foundation was created with the aim of raising awareness and setting up a screening programme which will screen every player (both male and female) from 12 years of age upwards.
Participating venues include:
Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium (Dublin)
Dundalk Stadium
Enniscorthy Greyhound Stadium
Newbridge Greyhound Stadium
Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium (Waterford)
Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium (Cork)
Clonmel Greyhound Stadium
Kingdom Greyhound Stadium (Tralee)
Limerick Greyhound Stadium
Galway Greyhound Stadium
Mullingar Greyhound Stadium
Thurles Greyhound Stadium
Activity on Social Media can be followed on #JerseysAtTheDogs
