Offaly Farmer Wins €10,000

Saturday, 21 September 2019 10:08

The dairy farmer has won the title of AXA Farm Hero 2019.

An Offaly dairy farmer has won the title of AXA Farm Hero and a prize fund of €10,000.

Eugene O Neill was announced its first AXA Farm Hero winner on The Late Late Show.

The Bracknagh man was nominated for his inspiring work fundraising for Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.

The competition was open to individuals from farming families across Ireland. The three AXA Farm Hero finalists are – Eugene O’Neill; Peter and Paula Hynes; and Timothy O’Connell.

Eugene is a father of five and a full-time farmer and agri-contractor. He spearheaded a number of fundraising initiatives including a Tractor Run, which was launched in 2013 and has raised over €50,000 for the hospital to date. The Tractor Run has now become a focal event for the local and farming communities at the end of the harvest, uniting all ages and backgrounds for an extremely worthy cause.

Eugene was presented with a cheque for €10,000 and the other two finalists each received a €1,000 prize, as well as a family break. The judging panel noted that Eugene was an excellent example of a community activist who showed great leadership and helped to bring three counties together for a truly worthy cause.

In 2010, at five years of age, Eugene’s son Diarmaid was diagnosed with Perthes disease. He endured numerous surgeries, hospital stays and periods of wheelchair confinement. The work carried out by the orthopaedic and surgical teams in Crumlin ensured that he made a full recovery. He now not only plays football with his local club, but he is also a member of the Offaly U14 football team and has won an Offaly County Boxing title. The care received from the team in Crumlin inspired Eugene to give something back to the hospital. In 2013, Eugene spoke with three other local farmers about an idea to hold a Tractor Run to raise funds for the hospital. He worked tirelessly, motivating and encouraging the small committee to seek sponsorship for the event, encouraging drivers to participate and getting people to attend. Since the inaugural run in 2013, the event continued to grow year-on-year, both in terms of vehicles participating and crowds attending. To date, the event has raised over €50,000 for Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.