Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our October newsletter, we spoke to Tom McGrath

General Operative at the Kilkenny Food Company soup plant, Tom McGrath, got a job there for four weeks shortly after he returned from Australia. That was almost 28 years ago. The proud Ballycallan man is still there, still enjoying the job, the teamwork and even more importantly, he’s still enjoying a hearty bowl of  Avonmore soup, particularly when the weather turns colder.

It’s a hectic time of year for the close-knit ‘soups’ team, with demand for Avonmore’s soup ranges peaking as the cold weather sets in. Shift numbers increase from one to three in the winter months and weekend work is also called for to fill orders at times, Tom explained.

It’s also busy outside of work for the now 52-year-old former hurler as he prepares for his first ever Dublin City Marathon over Halloween to raise much-needed funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

“My wife Vera recently lost her sister-in-law to cancer so to honour her memory and to remember family and friends we’ve lost, I’ve teamed up with three of my wife’s brothers to take on a ‘Couch to Dublin Marathon’ challenge to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society. My wife’s brother got the idea and we all rowed in.

Above: Taking on the Dublin Marathon to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society are brothers Vincent, Eamonn and Brian Hogan, pictured with Tirlán’s Tom McGrath

“So many people have lost family members to this horrible disease. Deirdre is a year gone now and her three brothers and myself came up with a plan to train and complete the Dublin City Marathon on Sunday 29th October 2023. Of the four of us competing, only one could be described as a ‘runner’. The others, myself included, are all novices when it comes to running 5k, let alone a full marathon.

“I started off running the Parkrun in Kilkenny on Saturday mornings and have been increasing my distances week on week. We got a plan from the Irish Cancer Society and I’m sticking to this. I do miss socialising and a few pints at the weekend, but it’s all for a good cause.

“As a group, we have completed several 10k runs so far, three half marathons and the 30k medieval run in Kilkenny. The priority now is to keep injury free and stick to the plan in the run up to the Marathon weekend.

“It has been difficult but I’ve received fantastic support from family, friends and particularly my work colleagues at Tirlán. There has always been a great spirit of supporting charities in Tirlán and I’d ask as many people as possible to get behind me in my effort to raise badly needed funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

“A bunch of people have been extremely supportive, among them my training mentor, Catherine Guithre and advisors, Ciaran Neary, Tom Kennedy and Noel Kerr and others. I did my cruciate when I was just 21 but made a promise to myself at 40 that I’d get to New York and do a charity run. I managed a half marathon a long time ago but never thought I’d get to do a full marathon. Hopefully all goes well now and we all get over the finish line.”