Some of the biggest names in Irish sport will descend on Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow on Monday evening for the 2026 Hurling for Cancer Research match, with the annual fundraiser closing in on a landmark €2 million raised for the Irish Cancer Society.

TJ Reid, Patrick Horgan, Noel McGrath, Jackie Tyrrell, Tommy Walsh, Walter Walsh, Darragh O’Donovan, Brian Hayes, Lee Chin, Joe Canning and Austin Gleeson are among those confirmed, alongside leading camogie names Ashling Thompson and Grace Walsh.

Dublin footballer Con O’Callaghan, former Mayo star Conor Mortimer and former Republic of Ireland football international Stephen Hunt will add to the traditional mix of sporting codes that has helped make the occasion one of the most distinctive dates in the Irish sporting calendar.

The match takes place at 7.30 pm on Monday, August 24 and is proudly supported by Centra, with all proceeds going towards cancer research funded by the Irish Cancer Society.

Last year’s game raised a record €215,690, taking the overall total generated by Hurling for Cancer Research to €1.9 million and putting the €2 million landmark firmly within reach this year.

Centra Activation

Centra’s involvement stretches beyond branding around the game itself and is a strong example of taking a sports sponsorship into stores and communities.

Special Hurling for Cancer Research milk cartons are available in Centra stores nationwide, featuring QR codes that let customers donate directly or buy tickets for the game.

The charity match has also been built into Centra’s wider hurling activity during the summer. Winners of its nationwide Sharpshooter competition for children aged 8 to 12 will play mini-games at Cullen Park from 5.30 pm before the main event. The initiative has linked Centra’s long-running sponsorship of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship with participation at club level and the fundraising occasion in Carlow.

Thompson Makes History

Ashling Thompson will also make a little history on the night.

The Cork star, fresh from another All-Ireland camogie success, has been involved with Hurling for Cancer Research for many years but will become the first woman named in a starting XV for the main fixture.

She will line out at midfield for Davy Russell’s Best.

For Noel McGrath, the purpose behind the evening has particular resonance. The four-time All-Ireland winner was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2015 before returning to play at the highest level.

“Treatments and survival rates are getting better all the time. That’s why an event like Hurling for Cancer Research, which has raised so much money already for the Irish Cancer Society, is so important,” he said.

“These funds help research and treatment continue to improve, and that’s what saves more lives.

“The novelty of getting to play with players from different counties is one attraction, but I think the fact that it’s for cancer research is the other big one. Every player probably knows someone who has been affected by cancer in one way or another.”

Patrick Horgan is another regular who rarely needs persuading to make the trip.

“I’d never miss this game,” he said.

“You genuinely see and meet Irish sports stars there that you would never come across outside of this game. While we start 15 versus 15, it could end up 30 against 30 by the final whistle.

“Sometimes sport is very serious when it probably shouldn’t be, but this is a night when it’s great fun for something very serious.”

Research Impact

Irish Cancer Society CEO Nikki Gallagher highlighted the importance of translating the goodwill generated by the event into sustained research funding.

The Society is Ireland’s largest voluntary funder of cancer research, with the money raised from Hurling for Cancer Research ringfenced for research programmes.

Among those highlighted this year is the Lung Health Check Pilot being undertaken in collaboration with Beaumont Hospital and the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.

The match grew out of an idea by racing figures Jim Bolger and Davy Russell and began in 2011.

TG4 will again support the event, with the main match being broadcast live from 7.30 pm.

Tickets are priced at €10 for adults and €5 for children and are available through Centra stores, online through Hurling for Cancer Research and at Netwatch Cullen Park on the night.

 

SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

Hurling for Cancer Research has grown by staying relatively simple: bringing together people supporters want to see, allowing the personalities and rivalries to have some fun, and directing the attention generated towards an important cause.

Centra’s involvement adds another layer. The retailer can activate nationally through its store network, connect the event with its wider investment in hurling and, through initiatives such as the Sharpshooter competition, bring younger players and local clubs into the story.

Reaching €2 million would be a significant fundraising achievement, but it would also represent 15 years of Irish sport repeatedly demonstrating its ability to mobilise athletes, sponsors, broadcasters, supporters and communities around a shared purpose.

 

 

 

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