'Open door' response to Kilcullen calf sale Ukraine fundraiser

Auctioneer John Osbourne; Eugene Lawler, Kildare West Wicklow IFA; Patricia Lawler, Leinster Marts Kilcullen; Eoin Lawler, auctioneer; and Thomas O'Connor, Chairman Kildare West Wicklow IFA.

There has already been an 'amazing' response to the 'Calves for Ukraine' sale in Leinster Marts Kilcullen on 20 April, a fundraiser for the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Crisis appeal, writes Brian Byrne.

Thomas O'Connor, Chairman of the Kildare West Wicklow IFA, describes the response as 'overwhelming'. "It's amazing how the farmers in our area are taking it up. Already people are coming to us without being asked, and there are also people who don't have calves coming in with donations."

The calves in the sale are all being donated by farmers and the entire proceeds of the sale will be given to the Irish Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal. It will also be the first calf sale at the mart in over 20 years.

The event is a joint initiative between Leinster Marts Kilcullen and the Kildare West Wicklow IFA. It is being supported by the MartEye auction streaming service. 

The idea came about when Kilcullen man Eugene Lawler got talking with his IFA colleague Thomas O'Connor about raising funds for the Ukraine crisis. "Thomas suggested a calf sale, and when I rang around to see what reaction there might be, I found we were going through an open door," says Eugene. "We even have farmers who aren't in livestock who are buying calves to put into the sale."

A special account has been set up at the Mart to handle the donations and the sale funds. There will be a representative from the Irish Red Cross at the event, and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD will also attend.

The sale will be the first on the agenda for the day, beginning at 11am. "We'll have an hour to get through it," says Eugene Lawler. "Then the normal sale will start." 

The event is expected to bring a new category of bidders to Kilcullen who wouldn't normally be at the weekly general sales.

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