Epic journeys on land and sea completed for worthy charities

AN epic cycle, swim and kayak were completed this week to raise fund for deserving local causes. 

A group of 13 cyclists, led by Bantry man Eoghan O’Leary, cycled from Malin to Mizen Head over five days in memory of Eoghan’s late wife Helen. 

Helen died in 2020, aged 32, from breast cancer and the cycle was in aid of three charities which are very important to people in a similar situation to her. 

That’s METavivor, whose sole focus is in the area of metastatic breast cancer; Breakthrough Cancer Research and St Francis Hospice in Dublin. 

Eoghan said there were lots of laughs and some tears shed along the 650km route and they hope to have raises around €90,000. 

Meanwhile, Ken O’Shea swam between the Bull Rock lighthouse off of Dursey Island, to the mainland Beara Peninsula last Friday in aid of the Castletownbere RNLI. 

Ken, from Cork city and living in Dublin, was the first person to complete the 14km swim: ‘But that’s only because it probably didn’t occur to anyone else,’ he joked. 

He was in the water for four-and-a-half hours, helped on by skipper Brian O’Rourke of Bantry Bay Tours, and his wife Tina O’Leary, from Drimoleague.

‘The tidal conditions were perfect but there was a  bouncy swell and some wind,’ he said. ‘The Bull Rock is also the largest gannet breeding grounds in Ireland and they weren’t at all happy with me being out there. For the first hour I had around 5,000 gannets divebombing with me which, if nothing else, was a good distraction!’

So far he’s raised around €1,500 which he’s very pleased with considering the current challenging financial times people are living in. 

Meanwhile, Kinsale man Jon Hynes completed his solo sea kayak around the Cork coastline for Arc House, cancer support service. 

His wife Alayne has used the services of Cork Arc after being diagnosed with breast cancer. 

He started his five day, 254km journey in Ardgroom and completed his epic trip at Youghal raising nearly €7,000 along the way.