Sunday, February 16, 2025

Mileage Tyres raises €26k for two local schools with Fleadh car park initiative

Mileage Tyres raised a whopping €26,123 for Saplings School Mullingar and Gaelscoil An Choillín during the Fleadh by using their premises as a paid car park for visitors.

Owner Frank McDonagh teamed up with Paul Sheerin from the OSB Group and Paul Lynam from King Oak Home and Garden Furniture to provide in the region of 200 car parking spaces during the event.
He thanked the two neighbouring businesses on the Newbrook Road for lending their premises for the fundraising effort, which he said was a “tremendous success” overall.
“It wouldn’t have been such a success without Siobhán Burley, Saplings School Principal, and Trina Ní Nuallain from the Gaelscoil,” said Frank.
“Those two got all of the volunteers that were needed to run the car park and they were absolutely fantastic. The volunteers themselves also deserve a special thanks.”
Frank said he has huge admiration for the work undertaken in the two schools that were chosen to receive the funds: “They are two of the best schools around and they’re doing lots of great work, as many schools are, but they don’t have enough resources.
“In Saplings, the special needs school, there are so many parents who could perhaps be the real special people in this story. What they have to deal with on a daily basis would have to be seen to be believed.
“Anything we could do to help them is what we had in mind, that was the real reason for this. They don’t get enough help at all.”
The €26,000 will be used for new equipment, medical supplies and educational purposes to make the lives of staff and parents easier, added the Mileage Tyres owner.
He said he was shocked to have raised so much money and attributed it to the “decent people” who travel to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann every year.
“We had no idea we would get to that figure this year, but we did have additional space thanks to our neighbours that could be used.
“But there are other reasons as well, we got donations from all over the world, as far as New York. There was tremendous goodwill and spirit around for the Fleadh.
“The people going to the Fleadh are different to other events, they have a really nice nature about them. They’re very friendly, generous and good spirited.”
Day parking tickets at the Mileage Tyres car park cost €10 and had high volumes of customers all week.
A cheque was presented to the two schools by Frank McDonagh and his daughter Suzanne Casey last Saturday, 19 August.

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