The students of St Brendan’s staged a 24 hour soccer marathon 22 April 2016 in aid of Aware and Meningitis research Foundation Ireland and dedicated to the memory of Keelan O’Connor and Jack Harvey.

Following the tragic loss of Jack Harvey and Keelan O’Connor, the students wanted to raise awareness of both meningitis and mental health in both the school and the wider community. The charities were approached and a 24 hour soccer marathon in the school was suggested as means to earn sponsorship to be divided between both charities.

Each year group was divided up into teams of 5 who played twice against one another for 4 hours and best placed teams played one another in a final. To take advantage of the beautiful weather, 1 st and 2nd year groups played outside while the 3rd to 6th year students played under the lights of the  and warmth of the hall. The students played through the night under the careful supervision of St Brendan’s staff and an enjoyable experience was had by one and all.

The total money raised was €10130 and the students presented a cheque to representatives from both charities in the school. It was a huge success and showed the generosity of the St Brendan’s school community and was a fitting tribute to both Jack and Keelan.