HAVING raised almost €3,500 from his recent 800km charity cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head, Brendan Treacy is taking a well-earned rest at his home in County Meath.

The sprightly 70-year-old Dublin native, who only got back into cycling 10 years ago, has been compiling the weekly crossword in The Southern Star for over 20 years.

He took on the mammoth cycling challenge in aid of Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease Ireland (EOPD), a charity dear to his heart as his brother has Early Onset Parkinsons’ Disease.

Speaking to The Southern Star, Brendan, who completed the cycle in the company of a group of other cyclists, said he was feeling slightly tired after the gruelling cycle.

‘I’m feeling good and very proud of what I achieved. I was very buoyed up by the guys that I accompanied. They were fantastic and kept my morale going. They are much better cyclists than I am and for them it was like a holiday,’ said Brendan.

‘I had actually set this out to do before anyone had ever heard of the phrase ‘bucket list’ so I was glad to be able to do it for a good reason.’

Brendan gets a pic alongside the Rory Gallagher statue in Ballyshannon in County Donegal

Luckily for Brendan and his cycling crew, they enjoyed glorious weather across their nine- day cycle.

‘It was a fantastic week and you couldn’t have asked for better weather cycling up the west coast of Ireland. I also found that everyone we met along the way were so generous with their advice and time. It was a lovely way to travel the countryside and meeting new people.’

Brendan admitted he had no idea of the scale of EOPD and feels they lift the morale of people including his brother John.

‘They encourage him to do things and he’s taken up boxing which he absolutely loves and it’s very encouraging.’

The portal for his idonate page closes in September and he is delighted to have raised over €3,000 for the charity.

For now, Brendan is enjoying the company of his daughter and her family including two grandchildren who have made the permanent move back home after several years living in the States.

Brendan also thanked The Southern Star for publicising his charity cycle and promoting it along with his weekly crossword with a QR code.

See https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/eopdevents1