John Tully’s name has been synonymous with Mayo Roscommon Hospice since its foundation in 1992. He was a central figure in the establishment of the organisation, with a vision to provide hospice and palliative care services for patients and their families across the two counties.

Sadly, in 2018, John passed away suddenly, leaving a huge void for his family, his community and indeed for Mayo Roscommon Hospice. At the time of his passing, the Castlerea pharmacist was a Board member with the organisation, having remained heavily involved with the charity since its foundation. It is fitting therefore that his legacy is now being remembered and celebrated through the John Tully Hospice Triathlon.

In late July 2024, the second annual John Tully Triathlon event took place in John’s hometown of Castlerea. Organised by his family and supported by the entire community, the event was a tremendous success, raising an impressive €12,054.30 for Mayo Roscommon Hospice, while also serving as an official Triathlon Ireland event. For the second year running, John’s daughter Sheena took on the role of Race Director, with his son Nial as Assistant Director. They were ably assisted by their mother, Maura, and their siblings Ross and Vince, while also receiving great help and support from the businesses and community in Castlerea.

There were two separate races for competitors on the day – the Sprint Triathlon and Try-a-Tri – and with the event recognised by Triathlon Ireland, it attracted competitors from clubs all over the region who wanted to get involved, record a time, while also supporting such a worthy cause.

“It was so wonderful to see the community coming together to lend a hand. It’s unusual for events like this to be run by families – they’re usually a club fundraiser – but everyone got behind us once again this year. From building the transition area to marshalling on the day, the volunteerism was fantastic. We couldn’t have done it without the community and I’m sure dad was looking down proudly on his beloved Castlerea, proud to see such a brilliant event taking place in his name,” said Sheena.

Despite the challenges involved in running such a huge event, the Tully family are delighted to be able to play their part in supporting Mayo Roscommon Hospice.

“Sure, it’s a lot of work, but we are all so passionate about Hospice and we couldn’t think of a more amazing legacy to have running in dad’s name,” Sheena continued.

In terms of planning for the event, no decision was taken lightly. “The reason we first decided to organise the triathlon was because dad was a huge fan of Castlerea Outdoor Swimming Pool. He advocated for it for many years and was heavily involved in the pool. The cycle route, meanwhile, shows off the beauty of the area – from passing the Castle in Ballintober, to the transition area being in Somers Park, which is such an amazing resource. The run route took participants through the demesne, of which dad was a trustee. Competitors even ran through the fairy village, which was inspired by dad and was a facility he officially opened,” Sheena explained. “It all connected so wonderfully, and made so much sense for us on a personal level to honour everything that he loved, from the community spirit, to the town of Castlerea and all it has to offer. It was amazing, too, to see so many people coming together to make something so big happen,” she added.

A community man, friend, and a great pharmacist, John Tully had been a central figure with Mayo Roscommon Hospice since its foundation in 1992. Across Castlerea, many businesses and organisations came together to show their support for this beloved man. Among them were An Chistin who did the catering, Josie’s Cafe who provided hot drinks, the Enterprise Hub serving as the registration area and competitor zone, Harmac allowing use of their secure car park, Shane Conlon from Castlerea Cycles doing bike checks for everyone on entry, the local cycling club helping to plan the route, Cahill’s SuperValu providing water bottles, and many others too. “It was a whole town effort and it is so special to know we come from a town that will pull together when you ask for help. We are also so grateful to the Total Health Pharmacy Group who came on board as main sponsors for the event. This allowed all entry fees to go directly to Mayo Roscommon Hospice, with Total Health covering all running costs like medals, t-shirts, goody bags, swimming hats, race belts, etc. This sponsorship made a huge difference in terms of the total figure we could hand over to Hospice,” Sheena noted.

For the family, every bit of effort involved in running the event has been worth it.

“We are so lucky to have a resource like Mayo Roscommon Hospice – something that dad so passionately believed in and an organisation that does such wonderful work across the two counties. As a family, we are so proud that he was involved in the establishment of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and we want to keep supporting the organisation,” she said.

In the weeks following the event, the Tully family have received some really great feedback from Triathlon Ireland, as well as clubs and competitors. “For us, it’s really special to see the town coming together in dad’s memory. It’s unusual for an event like this to be run for a charity, rather than as a club fundraiser, and it’s great to know that everyone is there because of absolute goodwill. We’ve got a lot of great feedback about the really special atmosphere that surrounded the event and the fact that it’s family run. Dad would be so proud of what the John Tully Triathlon has become and hopefully we’ll return again next year and create an even bigger and better event,” Sheena beamed.