Search

31 Oct 2025

Cannonball Ireland thanks the people of Kildare as fundraising exceeds €2 million

The official charity for Cannonball 2025 was The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation

Cannonball Ireland thanks the people of Kildare as fundraising exceeds €2 million

Cannonball Ireland thanks the people of Kildare as fundraising exceeds €2 million. Photograph credit: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

The organisers behind the annual supercar event Cannonball Ireland have thanked the people of County Kildare for their donations during Cannonball 2025.

According to Cannonball Ireland, the group has raised total of €781,914 for The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation since the partnership with the Kildare-based charity began in 2022.

In addition, donations reached €317,819 in 2025, bringing the total raised for Irish children’s charities to €2,271,716. 2025 also happened to be the 15th iteration of the event.

Welcoming the generosity shown by the people of Kildare, Deirdre Walsh, the CEO of Jack and Jill, said: "All of us at Jack and Jill are blown away by the funds raised this year through our partnership with Cannonball and Circle K, translating to 17,710 hours of in-home nursing and respite care for 456 Jack and Jill families nationwide."

She added that over the three-year partnership, the €781,914 raised has contributed to the funding of 43,438 hours of vital care.

READ NEXT: Approximately €3,000 worth of tools stolen from van during Kildare incident

Ms Walsh continued: "This partnership has been a true game-changer not just in funds and care hours, but in community spirit and meaningful connection.

"Travelling across Ireland with the Cannonball crew and meeting our wonderful families is always a joy."

She concluded: "We’re so grateful to the Cannonball community for their time, creativity and energy in making our families part of this spectacular event and ensuring Cannonball 2025 was such a success."

In addition, Alan Bannon, the founder of Cannonball Ireland, had this to say: "Raising over three-quarters of a million euro for Jack and Jill is something we’re incredibly proud of as a company."

He added: "Each year, the Cannonball family; our sponsors, participants, spectators and crew come together not just for the love of cars, but to make a real difference for Irish children and families. This milestone is a testament to the generosity, energy and heart that fuel Cannonball."

Lastly, Ciara Foxton, managing director of Circle K Ireland, said that it was "fantastic" to support both Cannonball and the Jack and Jill Foundation again this year by running its 'When You Fill, Support Jack and Jill' initiative at Circle K sites across Ireland.

She added: "I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Cannonball team, our colleagues across the Circle K network, and of course our customers, whose generosity and enthusiasm drives the success of this event every year."

Femhe Flynn (6) from Sallins, pictured with Deirdre Walsh, CEO of The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, and Alan Bannon, Founder Cannonball Ireland, at the presentation of a cheque from Cannonball Ireland to the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation. Photographer: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

READ NEXT: LATEST: Man dies in hospital following assault in Kildare

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!


Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.


Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.