Relay for Life Westmeath a weekend of remembrance and celebration
Preparations for the 2026 Relay for Life Westmeath are entering their final stages, and on the schedule this year are music, food and family entertainment throughout the 24-hour event.
The fundraiser in aid of the Irish Cancer Society on September 19 and 20 will bring teams together to walk continuously through the day and night.
“We have a huge weekend planned; we’ve got music, we’ve got food, we’ve got entertainment,” said organiser, Daisy Carey, who took time out of a collection stint in Tyrrellspass to speak about the upcoming event.
The event will see numerous food vendors, entertainers, and high profile visitors such as 2026 Rose of Tralee Caoilfhinn Ní Choiligh.
A Survivors VIP Lunch will take place at 12 noon on the Saturday, September 19, at Tyrrellspass GAA, to honour the strength and courage of those who have battled cancer and come out the other side. The relay will then kick off with a Survivors Lap, when a number of cancer survivors will lead the relay teams into the 24-hour event.
“We would love to celebrate them and really support them,” Daisy said. “We’re properly having a real celebratory lap for them, to support them in their fight and to make them feel special.”
Anyone who has survived cancer and who would like to be included in the VIP lunch and the celebratory opening lap is invited to register on relayforlife.ie.
A Candle of Hope ceremony will take place at 9pm, when personalised candle bags dedicated to people affected by cancer will be displayed along the track, lighting the way for the teams taking part through the night.
“We really want to represent the loved ones we’ve lost, and also support the survivors, the ones who fought and who won their battles, while remembering the ones who didn’t,” Daisy said.
Her mother’s cancer diagnosis a couple of years ago was among the reasons Daisy and her family brought Relay for Life to Westmeath.
“My own mum had a cancer diagnosis in 2024. Thankfully she’s doing really well now,” she said. “But at the time, we couldn’t do anything to make her better. The only thing we could do was raise money. So that was our way of helping.”
The support received from individuals, businesses, volunteers and community organisations has been “phenomenal”, she said, and people are donating money or other necessary items and equipment to the event, such as generators.
“It’s those people behind the scenes that we really want to thank,” she said, adding that there were too many to start naming them individually.
She also praised the participating teams, who have been fundraising in advance and will keep the relay moving overnight.
“They’re the true workers in this all,” Daisy said. “Without them, the event couldn’t happen because we need teams to do the relay.”
Organisers are hoping to attract people from across Westmeath, rather than only Tyrrellspass and its surrounding areas.
“We’re really trying to include the entire county. We want people to know that it’s a Westmeath event. Just because we have it in Tyrrellspass doesn’t mean it’s only for Tyrrellspass,” said Daisy, acknowledging that every family in the county is touched in some way, shape or form by cancer.
Money raised in the lead-up to, and over the course of, the weekend will support the work of the Irish Cancer Society, including services for people undergoing cancer treatment and their families.
“The more we support, the more that’s available to everybody all the time. Sadly, we can’t cure it, but we can try to support the people who are trying to cure it,” said Daisy.
Anyone hoping to support the cause can do so via donation through the Relay for Life Westmeath social media accounts: Facebook, and Instagram.