Kells charity event to attract a host of star names

A Monster barbecue in aid of The Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland will take place in Joe Murphy's Yard at Suffolk Street in Kells on Saturday night. The barbecue, which will take place under a covered marquee, starts at 9pm and will continue until 2am. Admission on the night is €10. It will be preceded by a charity football match which takes place at the Gaeil Cholmcille pitch in Kells at 6.30pm. The match will see a Jody Devine selection take on a John Henry selection and will be refereed by Shane McEntee TD. Many famous faces from Irish sport are taking part in the match including Meath legends Martin O'Connell, Tommy Dowd, Colm Coyle, Ollie Murphy, Terry Ferguson and PJ Gillic. Also participating will be Gerard Cavlan from Tyrone, jockeys Norman Williamson and Paul Carberry, members of the Meath u-16 girls team who recently won the All-Ireland title and Irish long-jumper Ciaran McDonagh. All local clubs will also be represented in the match and a great night's entertainment is expected. Meath players Shane McAnarney and Peadar Byrne will also be on hand to support the event before their All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Kerry on Sunday. The organising committee are hoping a large crowd will turn out to support this worthy cause. Cystic Fibrosis is Ireland's most common life-threatening inherited disease. Approximately one in 19 people are carriers of the CF gene and where two carriers parent a child together, there is a one in four chance of the baby being born with Cystic Fibrosis. CF affects the glands, damaging many organs including the lungs, the pancreas, the digestive tract and the reproductive system. As a result, persons with CF must consume artificial enzymes with food, to help them absorb adequate nutrition from their food. They must follow a demanding daily routine of physical therapy to keep the lungs free of congestion and infection. The result is that people with CF are prone to constant chest infections and malnutrition. However, as therapeutic options have expanded over the last decade, significant advances have been achieved in both life expectancy and quality of life. With the welcome increase in life expectancy of people with CF over the years, the demand for our service has also increased dramatically during this time. This in turn has resulted in the need for greater financial resources to made available to the Association, in order for them to continue their very valuable work. With little Government assistance, it is becoming apparent that in order for the association to continue to carry out their work, they must obtain further financial assistance to meet the rising shortfall.