Agri community rallies in 'Push for Paul' fundraiser

Paul Murphy, a resident of Listry, Killarney in County Kerry, is living with Mitochondrial Myopathy (MM), a condition similar to Motor Neurone Disease (MND). This devastating diagnosis has left Paul wheelchair-bound, while also impairing his motor skills.

Married to Linda, with whom he has two children, Harry (14) and Sadie (9), the strength of character Paul has demonstrated in recent years has come as no surprise to those who know and love him best.

Rallying to the Murphy family’s cause, ‘A Push for Paul’ shall see a group of Paul’s friends pushing a wheelchair from Drogheda, starting on Sunday, April 21st all the way to Killarney Racecourse for a scheduled finish on Saturday, April 27th.

A graduate of Mountbellew Agricultural College in County Galway and hailing from a farming background in County Wexford, Paul has maintained contact with several of his classmates over the years.

Those decades-old links have wonderfully manifested themselves through a 2022 project which made Paul’s home more accessible due to the reality of living with MM, along with April’s cross-county walk, which will also raise awareness of the Irish Wheelchair Association’s (IWA) outstanding work.

Event co-organiser John Heavey, a friend of Paul’s who lives in County Louth, explained the motivation behind a ‘Push for Paul’.

"It all came about following a conversation with Paul and Linda,” he said. “Paul said he didn't know how difficult it was for a person in a wheelchair until he had to use one himself – and it wasn’t something I’d devoted too much thought to prior to Paul’s diagnosis. And that sparked something. Accessibility issues that wheelchair users encounter daily need to be highlighted as frequently as possible to help increase wider awareness of the issue.”

John continued: “We’ll be pushing a teddy in a wheelchair in relays from Drogheda to Trim, Trim to Tullamore, Tullamore to Nenagh, Nenagh to Adare, Adare to Castleisland and then from Castleisland to Killarney Racecourse on Saturday, April 27th. This is going to be a team event so it’s not going to be reserved to one person or one group covering the entire distance.

“While we’re busy training for the event, we’re also hoping that interested members of the public and companies will get involved to help us realise our €100,000 fundraising target. So far, we’ve been blown away by the individual and corporate support we’ve received, which we are so grateful for.”

The ambitious campaign has already exceeded the €30,000 mark, with Paul’s family and neighbours in Killarney, in addition to the many friends he has made through college and rugby, all admirably doing their bit.

“My world has gone very small,” said Paul. “For someone who travelled far and wide, to Australia and so on, it has been a huge and difficult change for me. Linda has been absolutely brilliant; she’s made sure that we’ve kept going to Harry and Sadie’s matches together, which means a lot to me and to us as a family. Just because I’m in a wheelchair doesn’t mean I can’t be a parent. But I’m keeping myself going, I’m keeping myself busy and that’s very important. I have to do something.

“Back in my days studying Agribusiness at Mountbellew and playing rugby with GMIT, I could never have thought that all these years later, so many of the people I met then would still be there for me now, offering me and my family such amazing support.”

Paul concluded: “On behalf of myself, Linda, Harry and Sadie, I want to sincerely thank everybody who has been involved in the campaign. The kindness that so many people have offered means so much.”

To donate, visit www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/apushforpaul and for further information, email [email protected]