“We’re home safe and sound with nearly €6,000 raised so far.”
Cormac Doyle and Jack Connolly, both from Ballyfin, are home from their epic fourd-day, 400km+ charity cycle. And just to make life a little more difficult, they did it all without maps, accommodation or training.
The lads set off from their native Ballyfin on Thursday, en route to Lisdoonvarna in County Clare. From there, they headed to Galway, Clifden in Connemara, with Westport, County Mayo the final destination.
But things did not go quite to plan.
“It was absolute hardship but we had a plenty of craic along the way,” Cormac said.
“I came off the bike coming down a place called Corkscrew Hill (Co. Clare) and my back brake decided to stop working. The next day I wasn’t able to cycle.
“But Jack stayed going by himself on the last leg. He got it hard to get accommodation with everywhere being booked up, but a man rang him back and offered him a place on a couch in his B&B which was a life saver for Jack.
“I came home to get my car and met Jack along the way to Wesport. He really had a tough time by himself.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for their donations. We didn’t expect it to get as much traction at all, it really made it worthwhile.”
The GoFundMe page set up for donations was at just under €2,000 when the pair set off, but at time of writing had to reached a mighty €6,185.
All the proceeds will be distributed evenly between the Irish Heart Foundation and Mental Health Ireland, charirities which hold a special place for Cormac and Jack.
“I chose Irish Heart foundation as I lost my dad to a heart attack when he was just 47 and they do a lot for heart care in Ireland and raising awareness,” Jack said.
“And I chose mental health Ireland because there’s a serious problem with mental health in Ireland and I don’t think enough is being done about it so hopefully the money raised is going to be put to good use,” Cormac said.
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