5 miles done and dusted!

Originally I said I would start the row on June Bank Holiday weekend however last Sunday May 29th saw perfect (and calm) rowing conditions so I decided to seize the day and I set off! Accompanied by my wife Dickie and family on the barge Alameda,  I left Carrick-on-Shannon and rowed upstream towards Lough Drumharlow. After a pit stop for lunch on an island in Lough Drumharlow I continued on to the Boyle river. All in all it took about 3 hours of rowing to complete the 5 miles. I retired home with aching muscles very glad I hadn't undertaken an 85 mile row! Thanks to everyone for their support and donations, if you haven't' already done so, please use the Donate button on the right hand side to give what you can.

Ready to set-off with Dickie, Conor and Barry.


5 mile row in action

5 at 85!

Having been successfully treated for cancer over the past 10 years (and completing two other fundraising rows) I thought it was time to give something back. I did an 80km row for my 80th birthday so now I intend to do 5 at 85. If I follow this pattern that leaves me free to do 0 for my 90th!


The row will take place on June Bank Holiday weekend (weather permitting) and I will leave Carrick-on-Shannon and row to Jamestown.  I will do this in a rowboat built in Belmount Co. Offaly in 1973 and like me it's beginning to show it's age! I will be backed by my support team made up of my wife Dickie, our 10 children and 16 grandchildren.

All proceeds to go to the North West Hospice and the Ethiopian Cancer Squad. In recent years I have been under the care of the fantastic staff at North West Hospice. North West Hospice are a local charity dedicated to helping people with life limiting illness improve their quality of life and find relief from symptoms, pain and stress. They provide a full range of consultant-led specialist palliative care services for those living in Sligo, Leitrim and South Donegal. It costs €2 million to run the service each year, €1 million of which they receive from the HSE and €1 million of which must be raised through voluntary donations and fundraising.

The Ethiopian Cancer Squad are a group of Irish Cancer Specialists who will travel to Ethiopia and provide vital cancer services to those most in need.

So if you would like to support these two very worthy causes and give me an early 85th birthday present, please use the Donate button on the right hand side to give what you can.