2 days ago
Fundraiser for ‘Ireland's strongest man' to get vital knee surgery
Galway man Cilléin Groom has won the Ireland's Strongest Man competition twice in a row and is heavily involved in the sport of strongman in Ireland and beyond.
However, his progress has hit a roadblock this month after injuring his knee while preparing for the final event of Ireland's Strongest Man 2025.
As a result, Cilléin had to pull out of the competition as well as several others, as he now needs surgery to remove an inch long piece of cartilage and set him on the road to recovery.
Saying that Cilléin is 'too proud' to ask for help, his good friend Ethan Preston has taken it upon himself to support his pal and is raising money for him to have the surgery privately, as he says that the HSE waiting list 'could take forever'.
With a target of €9,000, the fundraiser has been posted on GoFundMe and has so far raised over €6,000.
The GoFundMe reads: 'Hi, my name is Ethan Preston, a close friend of Cilléin Groom. Cilléin is a two time 'Ireland's Strongest Man' winner, current Irish Strength Cup champion and a regular 'UK's Strongest Man' competitor, with aspirations to go much further. While also doing as much as he can to grow the sport of strongman in Ireland with reffing, loading, coaching and the odd podcast. And anybody that speaks to him knows how much this sport means to him.
'Cilléin suffered a knee injury during the final event of Ireland's Strongest Man 2025 while looking to secure his third title in a row. This has resulted in him having to pull out of more planned competitions and ending his season as soon as it started! His knee has lots of damage and requires surgery to remove an inch long piece of cartilage and to get him back in one piece.
'HSE/public waiting lists could take forever for him to get looked at so private surgery is his best option. It doesn't get easier for him as the shop where Cilléin worked has just closed down and he cannot do any sort of manual labour as he can just about walk.
'As most of us would be, Cilléin is too proud to ask for help so here I am! If anyone is able to donate anything at all to help us raise the funds for Cilléins surgery, please do. Thank you.'
You can donate to the GoFundMe here.
