Carrickmacross charity parade focused on twin aims

CARRICKMACROSS IN Monaghan may give new meaning to the twin towns concept when it hopes to mark its festival weekend tomorrow fortnight, June 4th, by assembling a record number of twins for the 2011 Carrickmacross Lions Club Twin (s) + parade.

The parade, sponsored by Healthy Hearts Healthy Lives, the company set up by the McEntee twins, John and Tony, All-Ireland winners with Armagh in 2002 as well as with Crossmaglen Rangers, to facilitate cardiac screening clinics for those aged 14-35 and engaged in sporting activity, hopes to beat its Irish record mark of 231 sets of twins gathered in the same place at the same time set last year.

Through the sponsorship the McEntees hope to raise awareness of Sudden Death Syndrome, and the event is supported by John and Joan McGuinness from Newry, who lost their son Oisín when he was playing a soccer match in 2009.

The condition has attained widespread publicity in the past seven years since the death of Tyrone captain Cormac McAnallen, aged 24, and shortly afterwards the passing of Ireland rugby player John McCall in an under-19 World Cup match against New Zealand in South Africa.

This year an invitation has been extended to triplets and quads, and the organisers are appealing to all sports clubs throughout the country to sponsor a set of twins to take part in the parade.

The objective is to gather more twins and multiples for the parade and raise funds for charity, and secondly to highlight the availability and importance of cardiac screening in young sports people.

Registration is open on carrickmacross.ie (click on the Twins in a Basket icon) and costs €10.

All proceeds of the parade will go to support local charities.