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Naas Racecourse honour Lockdown Heroes for Ballyhane Stakes

Naas Racecourse will stage the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes on Sunday. It's the richest race for tw...



Racing

Naas Racecourse honour Lockdown Heroes for Ballyhane Stakes

Naas Racecourse will stage the Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes on Sunday. It's the richest race for two-year-olds run in Ireland or the UK this season.

The track has organised a prize to show support for some nominated 'Lockdown Heroes.'

On Friday Night Racing in association with Horse Racing Ireland on Off The Ball those heroes were revealed and each given a runner for Sunday's big race.

Whichever horse wins means that Lockdown Hero will receive the incredible prize below.

Naas Lockdown Heroes' Horses

Lockdown Hero: Caoimhe O’Mahony - Nurse at Naas Hospital

Horse: Giorgio Vassari

Caoimhe is a nurse in Naas general. She contacted COVID while treating patients and once she beat it, she was straight back to work caring for others.

 

Lockdown Hero: Catherine & John Merrick - Foodbank Volunteers 

Horse: Allagar

Catherine and her husband John kept the food bank on main street Naas, going during the pandemic. They work all year round to keep food on the table for people in need.

 

Lockdown Hero: Aoife Green - Emergency Department GP Liaison Nurse

Horse: Anna Strada

Aoife, an Emergency Department GP liaison Nurse in Mater hospital, took charge of and ran a GP Clinic as part of the Mater Hospital Emergency Department to deal with the surge during Covid-19.

 

Lockdown Hero: Caitriona Twomey - CEO of Cork Penny Dinners

Horse: State of Rest

Catriona has kept the homeless and marginalised in Cork fed three meals a day and gave them food & clothes parcels and PPE throughout COVID 19 She provides this service 24/7 all year.

 

Lockdown Hero: Theresa McGinn - Physio in Kilkenny

Horse: Devious Company

Theresa worked the entire way through lockdown as a physio in her clinic. She took on the workload of four physios even though she herself suffers from arthritis and osteoporosis.

 

Lockdown Hero: Niamh Aherne - Doctor at Tallaght Hospital

Horse: Hyde Park Barracks

Niamh flew home from Perth, Australia in March to help on the frontline as a Doctor on the COVID wards in Tallaght hospital.

 

Lockdown Hero: Patricia McGuinness - Nurse - Belfast Hospital

Horse: Rebel at Dawn

Patricia is a nurse working in the Ulster Hospital in Belfast in the endoscopy unit. When the coronavirus hit, she volunteered to go and work in COVID ICU. She also helped all her elderly neighbours with their errands.

 

Lockdown Hero: John Ryan - Postman – Naas

Horse: Measure of Magic

John worked every day of the initial lockdown so some of his colleagues could get some time off to be with their families. He also gave extra time to his elderly customers who had no visitors.

 

Lockdown Hero: Sharon O’Carroll - Community Volunteer, Co Kildare

Horse: Vafortino

Sharon organised the cooking and delivery of 140 free hot meals a week to the elderly and vulnerable in Kildare. Sharon was involved in organising a courier service delivering medical prescriptions to the elderly.

 

Lockdown Hero: Emma Redmond - Nurse  

Horse: Amber Kite

Emma is a ward manager in St Vincent’s Hospital, Athy. She has gone above and beyond helping her patients during COVID who couldn’t have visitors. She dressed up as the Easter bunny giving out eggs to her patients.

Naas

Lockdown Hero: Stacey Looby - Garda 

Horse: Inhaler

Stacey works at Navan Garda station during lockdown she looked after the most vulnerable in the community shopping, delivering meals, collecting prescriptions, and bringing vulnerable to doctor appointments.

 

Lockdown Hero: John Doyle - Postman

Horse: Sloane Peterson

During lockdown, John went above and beyond. His route is a large one and was extra busy, he still checked on his elderly customers who were cocooning and he got them whatever they needed.

 

Lockdown Hero: Monica O Brien - Clinical Nurse Manager - Naas Hospital

Horse: Eastern Voice

Monica was due to retire in June but as the hospital was under pressure due to COVID she postponed her retirement so that she could help her colleagues. She even went back working nightshifts on wards which is not her role.

 

Lockdown Hero: Hazel Gleeson - HSE Project Manager - Croke Park testing centre

Horse: Street Kid

Hazel managed the Croke Park testing facility and was working 12-hour days and weekends during the height of the pandemic to help get it open and up and running.

 

Lockdown Hero: Lorraine Kavanagh - GAA Community Volunteer 

Horse: Fly Girl

Lorraine took on the job of coordinating the GAA Volunteers who delivered Groceries and ran errands for people cocooning in Celbridge.

 

Lockdown Hero: Paula O’Connor - Supplied essential PPE for Frontline Staff 

Horse: Moniesta

Paula made masks and scrubs for frontline workers when there was a shortage, even though she has a full-time job.

 

Lockdown Hero: Justin Kelly - Order of Malta Volunteer 

Horse: Charmed

Justin put his life on hold to work on the Irish front line he returned from Australia on the 1st of March, volunteering with The Order of Malta ambulance. Justin spent 4 months away from his family friends and ambulance colleagues to work on the front line.

 

Lockdown Hero: John Fitzsimons - Order of Malta Volunteer

Horse: Monassib

Since April 4th, 2020, John has been out assisting his community on medical transfers 5 to 7 days per week. He also assists in delivering medications to those isolating/on lockdown.

 

Lockdown Hero: Bernard Murphy - Healthcare Volunteer

Horse: Chief Little Hawk

Bernard took on the role of bringing together a team of volunteers to work in the Stadium as a frontline COVID testing centre for the HSE.

 

Lockdown Hero: Sinead Keogh - GAA Community COVID Liaison 

Horse: Amazed By Grace

During the lockdown, Sinead brought together a large number of volunteers from the GAA Club to help in the local community.

 

The Prize

1st prize  - 4-night staycation at the Heritage Hotel for a family of 4 ( 2 adults and 2 kids), €2,000 cash prize,  luxury car for a week from Colm Quinn BMW

2nd prize - 2-night stay in a O’Callaghan Collection Hotel

3rd prize - 1-night stay in the Osprey Hotel

4th prize – All For One Voucher From Weatherbys

5th prize - A VIP experience at the Irish National Stud

All 20 Lockdown Heroes will receive a goodie bag including a €100 voucher from Dunnes Stores and a printed image of the allocated horses.


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