More than €80,000 donated to fundraiser started by young man who later died

A fundraising appeal started by a young man who subsequently died while out running has reached €80,000.

Conor Cronin (26) fell and hit his head near his home in Drumcondra last Friday. He was running as team leader for his workplace Edgescan in aid of the men's health charity Movember.

He agreed to do a 50km run spread over the month of November at two kilometres a day when he fell and hit his head.

Movember Ireland organiser Jack O'Connor said his death had come as a "huge shock" to the organisation.

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“Our thoughts are very much with his family at this awful time, we are so incredibly humbled by the ongoing support from the people closest to him,” he said.

Since Mr Cronin’s death there has been a flood of donations to his Movember fundraising page.

His long time partner Eavan Atkinson said the fundraising was a "testament to him and to how many people loved him and how passionate he was about men's health.

“He was a people person and had an amazing sense of humour. He could light up a room. He brought out the best in other people. He wasn’t negative. He always had time for everybody. He was warm and kind.”

She said he had already agreed to donate his organs in the event of his death.

She said the shock of his death was compounded by how he healthy he was and how he looked after himself.

“Plenty of people bump their heads and something like this does not happen,” she explained.

Mr Atkinson said she and Mr Cronin had been going together for 10 years. They met when they were 16 having known each other as children. The candlelit vigil was in Griffith Park where they first met.

She is listed in the funeral notice as “fiancée-to-be”.

“That was our next step, but it was just taken away from us. A lot of people think the word girlfriend is not strong enough for what we had. His mother says we were soulmates,” she explained.

Mr Cronin's funeral took place on Thursday at the Iona Road parish church in Glasnevin.

He is survived by his mother Tina and siblings Sinéad, Ciarán and Alanna. He is predeceased by his father Kieran.