Donegal county councillor’s sons to run London Marathon in memory of aunts

Inishowen county councillor Terry Crossan’s sons are to take to the streets of London on Sunday for this year’s TCS London Marathon to raise money for Foyle Hospice in memory of their aunts.

In October last year, their mother’s sister Donna died in the inpatient unit after battling cancer. Following her death, Terry Óg, 48, Christopher, 43, and James, 37, have decided to run the marathon in memory of their three aunts, Assumpta, Ann, and Donna, who were all cared for by the specialist palliative care team at Foyle Hospice.

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Terry Óg is an ultramarathoner and has raised money on his previous runs for Foyle Hospice in memory of Assumpta and Ann.

The Crossan brothers have raised €9,400 so far. They surpassed their initial target of €7,000 through the generosity of the local community, particularly around the Inishowen area.

The Crossans are from Derry but have been fixtures in the Inishowen community for 30-odd years. The Sinn Féin councillor and his wife Kathleen moved with their three sons to Muff in the mid-1990s.

Christopher still lives in the area. While Terry Óg is now living in Germany and James in Manchester, the two regularly visit home, and when they do, they spend most of their time in Inishowen visiting their parents and Christopher’s family.

Terry Óg said they are grateful for all the donations, especially from Inishowen.

“We have seen a lot of generosity from the local community and business owners who have all donated to our cause.

“They have made my father a second-term councillor, and they have taken all of us into their hearts, and that is quite evident in the contribution they made to the charitable cause.“

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A bonus ball fundraiser was run by the Carmans Inn in Muff for a signed Manchester United jersey raised nearly €2,500. The jersey signed by the captain Bruno Fernandes was ironically won by a Liverpool fan.

Peter McLaughlin, from Donegal Signs, has contributed to the cause by printing the running vests for the trio. “We would just like to thank the local community for helping us surpass our target,” adds Terry Óg.

The family of Naomh Pádraig footballer, Evan Craig, who passed away in September last year from cancer has also contributed to the fundraiser.

“We are very grateful they have contributed quite a lot of money and we are of course grateful for all the contributions; a lot of the money we have received in donations has come from the Inishowen community. We can't thank the local community enough for the reaction we have seen from them.”

Terry Óg admits that the London Marathon will be an emotional family affair as the trio will be supported by 14 family members at the finish line, including their parents, partners and extended family.“It is going to be an emotional day for us but we will try to enjoy and remember the good times we all had with Donna, Ann and Asumpta.”

This will be Christopher's first marathon, James' third marathon and Terry Óg’s 48th. The trio would love to pass the €10,000 mark, considering they are so close.

Anyone who wishes to donate to a charity that is close to their heart can do so via www.justgiving.com.