Cancer fundraiser in memory of 'cherished figure' in Laois Offaly farming community

A fundraiser is being held in honour of a Portarlington who has been described as 'a cherished figure' in the community has already raised thousand of euro for cancer research.  

This fundraiser is being organised by the family of Thomas Fingleton of Shandra and the Portarlington branch of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) to remember the young man who passed away suddenly in 2024 after a short battle with cancer.

An online fundraising page on idonate.ie has been set up by his wife Claire Fingleton and has already raised almost €9,000 for the charity.

"Thomas Fingleton was a man of great kindness, generosity, and humor, with an unwavering love for farming that shaped his life. He was known for his hard work and dedication in all aspects of the farm and his community. He was always willing to help a neighbour and had great time for all his friends and family," said Claire. 

"His infectious spirit and love for the land made him a cherished figure in the community.  Tragically and devastatingly, Thomas passed away suddenly after a short battle with cancer, leaving a void in the hearts of all who knew him," she said.

Thomas was the chair, and at the time of his passing, he was the vice-chair of the local branch and helped in the campaign for the current IFA president and Laois man Francie Gorman. His wife Claire spoke about the fundraiser and her husband's love of farming on social media.

"He loved getting involved with everything about farming. It's no secret to anyone who knew him how passionate he was about farming. But as well as this, Thomas was incredibly generous and charitable. Always quick to put his hand in his pocket and give back whenever someone needed it. It was his way of showing appreciation for what we had in his memory, our family and the Portarlington IFA have chosen to fundraise for the Irish Cancer Society," she said.

Claire poignantly spoke about the extra time her husband was given thanks to a drug and how it allowed Thomas see a scan of their child. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

"If anyone is in a position to donate, we would greatly appreciate it. Without the research of the Irish Cancer Society, we would not have had a drug that specifically targeted the type of cancer Thomas had. This drug gave us so much hope, and even though it was not nearly enough, we got 10 days extra with Thomas, as well as seeing small improvements in his quality of life during this time.

"This time allowed Thomas to see the first scan of our baby it allowed his family to fly back to him and allowed us to surround him with so much love. It's hard to find appreciation sometimes, given the cruelty of everything we've been through, but we are so grateful for this time," wrote Claire on facebook.

She further explained on iDonate. 

"In his memory, the Portarlington IFA branch has offered to support a donation to the Irish Cancer Society to honour a man who had so much time for the farm and the farming community. We would like to express our gratitude for this kind gesture. Any further donations to the Irish Cancer Society would be greatly appreciated to support future research and families who are affected by cancer.

"To show our appreciation and thank everyone for their continued support to Thomas' family and to celebrate Thomas’s life, we invite you to join us for a social evening where we can share stories in his memory. We would love to see you at Portarlington Golf Club, January 24, 2025 at 8pm for refreshments and a chat. Thank you so much," concluded the iDonate appeal.

Launched in the run up to Christmas the appeal had raised  €8,770 to December 27. Donations can be made until June 2, 2025 at the special Thomas Fingelton page on iDonate.