The wife of a much-loved Rush farmer is overwhelmed by the community’s support since the death of her husband last year.
The locals of Rush, Lusk, Loughshinny, Skerries, Balbriggan, and Balrothery have raised over €120,000 for charity in honour of Laurence “Lar” McGuiness.
Lar passed away on January 12, 2021 after battling cancer.
To commemorate his anniversary, towns in north Dublin came to a standstill earlier this month as friends of the well-known farmer took part in a tractor run.
Tractors lined the roads for miles with their brightest lights during the touching Keep Her Lit For Lar drive.
While Lar’s funeral last year was small due to Covid restrictions, the massive turnout to celebrate his life was of huge comfort to his family.
Speaking to Dublin Live, Lar’s wife Maeve said: “We wanted to celebrate properly coming up to his one-year anniversary on January 12, so I said let’s give him a party with a hell of a lot of engines and power.”
The number of vehicles in the tribute drive was record breaking at 500 and a total of 103,000 brake horsepower of all the tractors and trucks combined.
“He would’ve loved that kind of thing,” Maeve added.
Even though it rained on the day, huge numbers of locals turned out to see the parade of lights enter the town.
“I was half balling going through the towns seeing everyone’s faces clapping and waving,” said Maeve.
Close friend of Lar, Paul Flynn, was overwhelmed with the response to the event: “Some even commented on the fundraising page that it was better than any St Patrick’s Day they’ve witnessed.”
Lar’s friends and family have raised over €120,000 for various charities through bucket collections, the idonate fundraising page, and other events. The money will be going towards Aoife's Clown Doctors, LauraLynn Ireland's Children's Hospice, Skerries Youth Support Services and The Friends of St Luke's Cancer Care.
You can donate to the fundraising page by clicking here .
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