Vital charity gets huge boost in Laois thanks to epic climb in memory of Portlaoise father and son

Friends of the late Eoin and Dylan Fitzpatrick have raised an incredible €107,494 for the charity which helped bring the remains of the father and son home to Laois. 

Eoin, 35, and Dylan, 10,  tragically lost their lives in a collision while holidaying in Turkey on July 17, 2023. 

The deaths of the popular father and son sent shockwaves of grief through Portlaoise, Laois and the country. 

Now a remarkable sum has been raised by their friends and family in memory of Eoin and Dylan and to support the work carried out by the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. 

A  group of around 30 climbed Ben Nevis in September the highest mountain in Britain and Ireland in order to raise funds for  the Newry-based charity.

The climbers took a plaque in memory of Eoin and Dylan to the top of the Scottish peak.

Ben Nevis is a notoriously dangerous mountain to climb. However, good weather conditions make climbing the 1,345 metre mountain a lot safer and it would seem Eoin and Dylan were looking down on the charity group, which consisted of friends of Eoin and Dylan throughout the years.

“They had a photo of them that they printed on an Irish flag that they raised up there as well,” Eoin’s father and Dylan’s grandfather, Frank Fitzpatrick explained. 

Eoin and Dylan Fitzpatrick RIP.

“They got an exceptionally good day for it which is basically unheard of,” he told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. 

The remarkable charity effort by the group and from generous donors  has resulted in the huge boost for the Trust which had  helped Eoin and Dylan’s family after tragedy struck last July, just a day before the father and son were due to fly home. 

Frank revealed he was at a loss as to how to deal with the enormity of the tragedy that had befallen his family back in July. 

Efforts to repatriate Eoin and Dylan, were complicated by the fact that Turkey is a non-EU country.  The family were thankful to the Department of Foreign Affairs for their help after the tragedy.

His brother-in-law contacted him and suggested the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust and its founder, Colin Bell, called Frank later that night.

“They are incredible. They just took over and they do everything. This is basically a thank you. They get no funding. It is all voluntary donations that they keep getting all the time,” he explained.  

Cheque presentation to Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust in Portlaoise were Larry Byrne, Colin Bell, Frank, Cian Fitzpatrick, Cathal Brown, Paul Kinahan, Colm Molloy, Evan Baldwin, David Higgins and Leon Lewis. Photo: Michael Scully.

Colin Bell, is the founder of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust. He travelled to Portlaoise on Friday, November 3 for the cheque presentation in the Midlands Park Hotel.  He  said the charity could not continue without such generosity. It  has helped repatriate the remains of almost 1,700 Irish people from all across the world in just ten years. 

“It is rare that we get such a large amount. To get something like that is very gratifying and shows you the power of community and how much Eoin and Dylan were thought of in Laois,” Colin said.  

“It is an amazing tribute to Eoin and Dylan. It is a tribute to the people of Portlaoise. It is a tribute to his friends who have worked so hard and have raised so much money. It is a legacy to Eoin and Dylan and it will help so many families in the future who get the same devastating news,” he  said. 

He founded the charity following the tragic death of his own son in New York in 2013. The Newry based charity has helped 15 families in Laois since being established in the wake of Kevin Bell’s tragic death.   

The 32-county charity survives on donations as it isn't in receipt of any government funding north or south of the border. The efforts of the friends and family of Eoin and Dylan will now benefit other families across Ireland who will sadly need to bring a loved one home from a foreign country in the future.

“We couldn't do it without the support we get throughout Ireland,”  Colin explained.

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust brings the remains of approximately 20 to 25 loved ones back to Ireland every month. The Trust helps  all sides of the community, creed, colour and circumstances of death.

To date this year, the Trust has helped to bring home the remains of  231 people who died overseas.