Support our services

The Marks & Spencer Ireland Marie Keating Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic see’s celebrities descend on the K Club to ‘drive’ the fight against cancer

The 2016 Marks & Spencer Ireland Marie Keating Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic took place on the Palmer Course at the K Club today, which is considered one of Europe’s finest championship courses. Now in its 17th year, the highly anticipated annual summer event has become recognised as one of the most respected Irish charity golf tournaments.

 

Proudly supported by Marks & Spencer Ireland, the esteemed event saw a host of celebrities from the world of sports, entertainment and music descend on the renowned K Club golf course in Kildare to enjoy a fantastic day of golf followed by a gala dinner, prize giving ceremony and entertainment.

 

This fabulous event takes place to raise much needed funds for the Marie Keating Foundation which provides free cancer awareness programmes and support services for men and women in Ireland. The Marie Keating Foundation’s nursing team and Mobile Information Units visit over 22,500 people a year to talk about cancer prevention and early detection, while the Foundation’s Comfort Fund provides financial assistance to families that are struggling as a result of cancer. The funds from this year’s event will support the Marie Keating Foundation’s School Cancer Awareness Programme which reaches approximately 25,000 secondary school students each year with advice on how to prevent cancer through healthy lifestyle choices and highlights the importance of early detection. The programme helps to dispel the fears that young people may have about the term “cancer” and it underlines the importance of knowing the facts about the disease.

 

As a son of Marie Keating and Patron of the Foundation, Ronan Keating hosts this event every year which sees each team of three golfers joined by an additional celebrity teammate. This year saw 22 teams participate and elated guests got the opportunity to play with an array of sporting heroes and high profile international celebrities such as Mike Tindall, Denise Van Outen, Shane Byrne and Stephen Hunt.

 

Speaking at the spectacular event, Ronan Keating commented “I’m delighted to be back for this year’s golf classic, which is one of the most exciting events in the Marie Keating Foundation’s calendar. It’s a fantastic day but it also has a serious impact because the funds that we raise today help the Foundation make a real difference in the fight against cancer year-round. I’m thrilled to see the support from so many great friends from the world of music, entertainment and sport as well as companies and people who have taken teams. They are helping us reach our fundraising target of €35,000 for our Schools Cancer Awareness Programme. In particular, I would like to say a big thank you to Marks & Spencer Ireland for their tremendous ongoing support in helping us raise awareness of cancer nationwide.”

 

Also speaking at the event, Carmel Breheny, Marketing Manager for Marks & Spencer Ireland said “Marks & Spencer Ireland is honoured to support the Marie Keating Foundation again this year. We have been proudly supporting the charity for nearly 14 years now and I’m delighted to announce we have raised almost €2 million for the worthy cause to date. This plays a vital role sustaining the fantastic services the Foundation provides for free as they receive no government funding.  The celebrity golf classic is one of many fundraisers we support to help fight cancer and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event”.