RYANAIR BOSS MICHAEL O’Leary has donated €200,000 to a fund for JT McNamara – the Irish jockey who was paralysed after a fall at the Cheltenham Festival last month.
He made the announcement at the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse today, as his horse, Akorakor, triumphed in a race this afternoon.
O’Leary, who owns Gigginstown House Stud, said he’d give €200,000 to the winning owner of a point-to-point bumper race.
However, after his own horse won the race, O’Leary confirmed to reporters that he would be donating the money to McNamara.
Fair play Michael…son has just returned to Liverpool after Easter on the only connecting flight from here via Ryanair and we were bitching about them, I’ll hold my tongue, very admirable.
U2 members pay tax in this country the company is based on the Netherlands so as to beige profitable very similar to why google, intel, Microsoft, Facebook etc are all based in Ireland. By whinging about U2 you are effectively saying these companies shouldn’t be here and condoning over 250,000 people to the dole q.
People may go on about Michael O Leary, but you must admit that he is to be admired for his kind gesture today.
Samuel Beckett once wrote ” Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Let us do something, while we have the chance” ! ………..M ichael O Leary had his chance and he took it.
Wow, an almost 100% positive comment article on the journal. O’leary is a businessman, not a monster. If people researched the man, he’s actually quite generous to charity on a regular basis.
Fair play to Michael O’Leary, I wouldn’t be much of a Ryanair fan, but that was some gesture. Like Elrat said, hopefully others will follow suit and in the tight community of NH racing I’m sure they will.
putting money where his mouth is, most jockys get naf all as a wage ,unless there mc coys or walsh types, who ever puts money on a horse put a little on the jocky when he is down…..
Michael o leary for taoiseach….pope….president…..ayatollah. ….King.. any of them.. All of them … sure he’d be better than the current lot. … good call mr.o leary
I agree with you. He’s a business man and I’m sure could do a lot better than the monkeys in the dail.
Their main function is to see all, hear all and hide all most likely in their own pockets. They have the country crippled, blaming the last administration yet they were the watch dogs!!!
Ryanair is a profitable concern. Great to see there is a heart in the middle of it.
Fantastic gesture Michael and no doubt it will assist JT and his family come to terms with what has to be a living hell and make life a bit easier.
Well done Mr O’Leary.
well done michael,fair play to you..and for all those people obsessed with slagging ryanair off,jesus please shut up and fly with another airline,you get what you see,be on time ! carry the right sized bag and enjoy the cheapest flights in europe,simple…once again well done..
You mightn’t like his attitude sometimes but his driven mentality has Ryanair as one of the biggest Airlines in the world if not the biggest. A successful company in good times and bad. Also he does pay his taxes and doesn’t expect the taxpayer to pick up the bill for his mistakes and or greed like some.Well done Michael.
Brendan cancer research is a hard one,, some cancers are not popular so don’t get funded,, and the big ones are researched all the time with improvements,, i feel more should be put into palliative care,, we have a wonderful unit in tralee, but no rooms just for palliative care,, and those nurses and doctors are unbelievable,, sad to see someone dying of cancer in a ward and not a palliative unit,,, still think it was very kind of mr o leary to donate a fine sum to a fine man,, as will cost alot more than that to keep him nursed and cared for,,,
I know but I know of somebody close to home who was paralyzed due to a car accident and relies on the state to provide care, she’s 53. You are right about palliative care, with all the cuts in Ireland to carers allowance etc. It’s a good thing O’Leary has done and I really do hope that money does help make the chaps life more manageable.
dont know there email but the hospital in tralee, would put you on to dr sheehan, she runs the paliative care unit and i have to say is the most dedicated, loving caring young woman i know, she is there when ever you need her, and know she is so short of funds to get beds for her own,, paliative care is not just for dying, its for people in so much pain they cant tolerate it,,she looked after my mother who died from cancer and to the end, she was my moms best friend, confidant,, just an amazing woman,, her day unit is out of this world, my mom loved going there,, got hair done, just pampered and people to chat with,, would love if you could donate something as every little bit helps,,, nice to know some good people out there,, and mr o leary i do believe is a good hearted man, and god only knows how many charities he gives to,,
Good to see he has donated money for a good cause; it would be good if he donated a large sum to cancer research or any area that affects not just one individual but the population as a whole.
There are people living on the street right now being harmed and I can assure you one thing, if I was a millionaire I would help the the woman who feeds the feral cats and not herself I see every day and provide her with basic housing along with support to get back on track.
here’s an idea Brendan, why don’t you go out and make yourself a millionaire so that you make all you altruistic dreams a reality. Until you do that, finding faults in others charitable actions is a hollow practise.
Any cretin who red thumbs this gesture wants a big kick in the bxlls,no matter what Ryan Air do its nothing to do with his kindness,really think he needs marketing like this ,wise up.
And not like Bono and other cxxts,hes a tax payer.
So if there was a fund set up think how long it would take us all to get 200K,so red thumbers
hope you never back another winner and get hit with the RyanAir baggage extra charges.
Been observing Ryanair/O Leary publicity department for 15 years now it is not a charity it is a cold hearted business model all the responses on this forum to date proves that it works very successfully ,
Say what you like about O’Leary and I’ve said a lot about him in my time, but that was a thoroughly decent and generous gesture. He has to be given full credit no matter what.
Happy to Hear this, hard times for JT , he needs all good Support and for Michael to make this Donation really means something.
With all the money in the world Really it comes down to Genuine caring people,
Best wishes to you JT .
Is this the same man who charged a man with cerebal palsy €18 for a wheelchair and when taken to court and lost introduced an all over 35 cent levy to cover wheelchair costs .
I doubt it as Michael O’Leary is a racing fan and has racehorses. This cause would be close to his heart. But Michael O’Leary would think it funny that this got out on April 1. Eitherways fair play to him.
Nice of him to donate .. But anyone who does and publises it .. Its for selfish reasons .. Not selfless .. I know he does not have but .. Hey … Drop in the ocean to him …
I’ll bet JT will still not fly with tRyinair given a reasonable choice! Hopefully the many other injured jockeys out there get rightly looked after too and just the ones with a cynical PR dividend for the likes of O’Leary and McManus!
Well done to M O Leary. Great gesture. Huge amount of money to donate to one person. He runs probably one of the most cost efficient airlines in the world but obviously has a huge heart. Good to see.
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Fair play that was decent of him.
Thank you , God bless
Nice gesture. Well done
Well done Michael O’Leary. That was really decent if you.
Well done Michael – maybe more will follow your lead!
Fair play Michael…son has just returned to Liverpool after Easter on the only connecting flight from here via Ryanair and we were bitching about them, I’ll hold my tongue, very admirable.
wow, that’s fantastic
Fair play Michael. Seems like you’ve a big heart to go with your big mouth.
Fair play Michael O’Leary. and best wishes to J.T
You have to respect O’Leary – he has stayed in the country and pays his full taxes unlike Denis O’Brien, U2 etc.
Not a Ryanair fan at all but you’re dead right. He’s more an Irish man than a lot of those other tax dodging so called Irishmen.
U2 members pay tax in this country the company is based on the Netherlands so as to beige profitable very similar to why google, intel, Microsoft, Facebook etc are all based in Ireland. By whinging about U2 you are effectively saying these companies shouldn’t be here and condoning over 250,000 people to the dole q.
Great credit due to the man.
Weldone Ryanair!
Seems it was his own money and not Ryanairs
Good for you Michael O Leary
People may go on about Michael O Leary, but you must admit that he is to be admired for his kind gesture today.
Samuel Beckett once wrote ” Let us not waste our time in idle discourse! Let us do something, while we have the chance” ! ………..M ichael O Leary had his chance and he took it.
I second that @Cyril
Hopefully this gesture will be reflected hence in tRyinair’s overall attitude and policy towards its disabled passengers!
FairPlay !!!!!
Good on you michael youre heart is in the right place.
Wow, an almost 100% positive comment article on the journal. O’leary is a businessman, not a monster. If people researched the man, he’s actually quite generous to charity on a regular basis.
Fair play to Michael O’Leary, I wouldn’t be much of a Ryanair fan, but that was some gesture. Like Elrat said, hopefully others will follow suit and in the tight community of NH racing I’m sure they will.
Nice to see the Racing Fraternity rally to JT MCNamara’s hour of need. Well done M O Leary
putting money where his mouth is, most jockys get naf all as a wage ,unless there mc coys or walsh types, who ever puts money on a horse put a little on the jocky when he is down…..
Michael o leary for taoiseach….pope….president…..ayatollah. ….King.. any of them.. All of them … sure he’d be better than the current lot. … good call mr.o leary
I agree with you. He’s a business man and I’m sure could do a lot better than the monkeys in the dail.
Their main function is to see all, hear all and hide all most likely in their own pockets. They have the country crippled, blaming the last administration yet they were the watch dogs!!!
Ryanair is a profitable concern. Great to see there is a heart in the middle of it.
Agree totally with you mary
Can’t see O’ Leary in the Dáil. He’s not a teacher.
Anyway, keep it up Mick, there’s plenty more could do with this type of generosity.
Well done Michael
Fantastic gesture Michael and no doubt it will assist JT and his family come to terms with what has to be a living hell and make life a bit easier.
Well done Mr O’Leary.
fair play to you mr o leary,,, and i have flown ryan air for years with no complaints,, only complaint i ever had was aerlingus to expensive
Donates to charity but doesn’t like to talk about it. Mr mcNamara, get well soon, you are the hero .
well done michael,fair play to you..and for all those people obsessed with slagging ryanair off,jesus please shut up and fly with another airline,you get what you see,be on time ! carry the right sized bag and enjoy the cheapest flights in europe,simple…once again well done..
what a lovely gesture fair play to him
You mightn’t like his attitude sometimes but his driven mentality has Ryanair as one of the biggest Airlines in the world if not the biggest. A successful company in good times and bad. Also he does pay his taxes and doesn’t expect the taxpayer to pick up the bill for his mistakes and or greed like some.Well done Michael.
Well said sports mad
Brendan cancer research is a hard one,, some cancers are not popular so don’t get funded,, and the big ones are researched all the time with improvements,, i feel more should be put into palliative care,, we have a wonderful unit in tralee, but no rooms just for palliative care,, and those nurses and doctors are unbelievable,, sad to see someone dying of cancer in a ward and not a palliative unit,,, still think it was very kind of mr o leary to donate a fine sum to a fine man,, as will cost alot more than that to keep him nursed and cared for,,,
Jackie,is there an email for them as I would like to help raise funds.
I know but I know of somebody close to home who was paralyzed due to a car accident and relies on the state to provide care, she’s 53. You are right about palliative care, with all the cuts in Ireland to carers allowance etc. It’s a good thing O’Leary has done and I really do hope that money does help make the chaps life more manageable.
Get on to Cork and Waterford Injured Jockeys Fund, they will advise u. Dint think anything official is up and running yet though.
dont know there email but the hospital in tralee, would put you on to dr sheehan, she runs the paliative care unit and i have to say is the most dedicated, loving caring young woman i know, she is there when ever you need her, and know she is so short of funds to get beds for her own,, paliative care is not just for dying, its for people in so much pain they cant tolerate it,,she looked after my mother who died from cancer and to the end, she was my moms best friend, confidant,, just an amazing woman,, her day unit is out of this world, my mom loved going there,, got hair done, just pampered and people to chat with,, would love if you could donate something as every little bit helps,,, nice to know some good people out there,, and mr o leary i do believe is a good hearted man, and god only knows how many charities he gives to,,
I’d love to romp home on oleary!
People give out about the way he runs Ryanair but he’s a business and a genuine nice guy, fair play
Think what you like of Michael o Leary but not many people who could afford to do that would!
Not being a M O’Leary fan, but fair play to him for his generosity.
Ahh this is great news well done Michael and get well soon JT!
Only time this man ever got a thumbs up from me
Well done Michael O’Leary.
No fan. But he lives here, pays his taxes here. Fair play to him great gesture and best of luck to JT.
Iam back flying Ryan air after this.
Well done the racing world stick together nice to see
One word – Legend.
Gigginstown Stud are putting up the money not Ryanair. Eddie O Leary should get credit as well as Michael.
Fair play Michael
He gets plenty of bad press but fair dues to him for that gesture
Nice !!! :-)
Good to see he has donated money for a good cause; it would be good if he donated a large sum to cancer research or any area that affects not just one individual but the population as a whole.
How do you know he doesn’t?
How do you know what else he donates to?
You mean like this?
http://www.sportsfile.com/more-images/1203291/
€50,000 donated to St James’ Cancer Research.
There are people living on the street right now being harmed and I can assure you one thing, if I was a millionaire I would help the the woman who feeds the feral cats and not herself I see every day and provide her with basic housing along with support to get back on track.
here’s an idea Brendan, why don’t you go out and make yourself a millionaire so that you make all you altruistic dreams a reality. Until you do that, finding faults in others charitable actions is a hollow practise.
So if you were a millionaire you’d help one woman that feeds cats , why wouldn’t you support cancer research or the likes ….
Fair play to you Mick never one to miss out on a bit of publicity !!
Nice one
Fair play Michael. That’s an incredible gesture.
Any cretin who red thumbs this gesture wants a big kick in the bxlls,no matter what Ryan Air do its nothing to do with his kindness,really think he needs marketing like this ,wise up.
And not like Bono and other cxxts,hes a tax payer.
So if there was a fund set up think how long it would take us all to get 200K,so red thumbers
hope you never back another winner and get hit with the RyanAir baggage extra charges.
Been observing Ryanair/O Leary publicity department for 15 years now it is not a charity it is a cold hearted business model all the responses on this forum to date proves that it works very successfully ,
Phair phucks Michael. Can I say that?
Say what you like about O’Leary and I’ve said a lot about him in my time, but that was a thoroughly decent and generous gesture. He has to be given full credit no matter what.
Very generous. Of him in fairness
Has to be admired
Happy to Hear this, hard times for JT , he needs all good Support and for Michael to make this Donation really means something.
With all the money in the world Really it comes down to Genuine caring people,
Best wishes to you JT .
Is this the same man who charged a man with cerebal palsy €18 for a wheelchair and when taken to court and lost introduced an all over 35 cent levy to cover wheelchair costs .
as ive always thought..hes a decent man..all we hear is bad press about him.
I love. Horse. Riding or burgers and I love Michael. I love ryAn air.i love. Everyone
Obviously MOL wouldn’t want his contribution to become public, so it’s safe to assume that somebody leaked this information against his wishes. Yes?
The publicity is working for him .. You idiots …
Are we idiots? We’ve been sold so many pups for so long, that we don’t know who to trust. Can you blame us?.
A paralysed jockey gets some help from a public person and we’re idiots for saying its good? You’re the only idiot here.
Has to be an April fool??
I doubt it as Michael O’Leary is a racing fan and has racehorses. This cause would be close to his heart. But Michael O’Leary would think it funny that this got out on April 1. Eitherways fair play to him.
He could have done it without making it such a public thing. Wonker
Nice of him to donate .. But anyone who does and publises it .. Its for selfish reasons .. Not selfless .. I know he does not have but .. Hey … Drop in the ocean to him …
I’ll bet JT will still not fly with tRyinair given a reasonable choice! Hopefully the many other injured jockeys out there get rightly looked after too and just the ones with a cynical PR dividend for the likes of O’Leary and McManus!
Well done to M O Leary. Great gesture. Huge amount of money to donate to one person. He runs probably one of the most cost efficient airlines in the world but obviously has a huge heart. Good to see.
This has f all to do with Ryan air