The charity set up in memory of Cormac McAnallen will cease activity on the 20th anniversary of the Tyrone football star’s sudden passing.

The Cormac Trust was formed to raise awareness of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), the condition which claimed the life of the 2003 All-Ireland SFC winner at the age of just 24 on March 2, 2004. Cormac’s family set up the charity which has spent over £200,000 in donating more than 300 defibrillators to sports clubs, community groups, schools and emergency services.

In a statement, the Trust said: “This anniversary week brings us to make an important announcement, the Cormac Trust is blowing its ‘final whistle’ after two decades.

“The decision to cease activity as a charity is not an easy one, after so much involvement in life-saving initiatives up to the end.

“Nonetheless, the 20-year milestone since Cormac’s sudden death is the right time to call a halt.

“Back in 2004, so little was known about Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). News of the sudden death of Cormac and many others forced instant attention on pressing questions: how could seemingly healthy young people die without warning, and what could be done?

“The need to form a charity to combat SADS, building on Cormac’s profile, was so evident that it took shape within months of his death. Club Tyrone and the GAA county board did much of the early groundwork, along with the McAnallen family, and fundraising efforts from the start demonstrated the huge goodwill and generosity of the public that enabled the Trust to make an instant impact.”

ANNOUNCEMENT
THE CORMAC TRUST'S
'FINAL WHISTLE'
In this 20-year anniversary week, the Cormac Trust is announcing its closure.
Read about the reasons & its record over two decades, in the link below (fb)https://t.co/e4UqRsbXmw
pic : Cormac speaking in Belfast on 28 February 2004 pic.twitter.com/WmvGNjmYg1

— The Cormac Trust (@cormactrust1) February 25, 2024

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