Cyclists invited to take on 180km Galway to Tipperary cycle in aid of two worthy causes

Pictured above: Galway to Lissadobber Charity Cycle Committee members Declan Blanchfield, John Pierse Hearn, Bridget Landy and Margaret Hanrahan from Ballyneale/Lissadobber, Tipperary Senior hurler Craig Morgan, who was a close friend of the late Dillon Quirke, and Galway to Lissadobber Charity Cycle Committee member Nigel Hanrahan at the launch event in Semple Stadium last week. Pictures Anne Marie Magorrian

A group of cyclists will pedal a gruelling 180km from Galway City to Lissadobber near Ballyneale village on September 5 to raise funds for Ballyneale Community Field and the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

The fundraising campaign for the Galway to Lissadobber Charity Cycle was officially launched at Semple Stadium in Thurles on Tuesday, March 10.

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Tipperary Senior hurlers Robert Doyle and Craig Morgan along with former Tipperary hurling star and manager Declan Ryan joined members of the Galway to Lissadobber Charity Cycle Committee at the launch event in Tipperary GAA’s field of dreams.

The organisers are welcoming volunteer cyclists to register to take part in the expedition and fundraise for the two worthy causes.

Nigel Hanrahan, one of the keen cyclists spearheading the event, said about 25 people are so far taking part but they can accept up to 100 participants.

The Ballyneale man said they have launched the event six months in advance to give participants time to train and prepare for the marathon cycle.

“We hope that by about April 10 most people will have signed up and will get going with the training.”

The cycle will start from the Oranmore Lodge Hotel in Galway around 7am on September 5 and will be completed in one day. Lisadobber Pub will be the finish point. The cyclists will be transported by bus to the hotel the evening before.

The Galway to Lissadobber sponsored cycle follows the very successful 160km Dublin to Lissadober Pub Cycle completed by 46 cyclists in August last year.

The event raised close to €60,000 for four worthy causes close to the hearts of the participants including South Tipperary Hospice Movement, the Kilkenny based mental health charity Teac Tom, Féileacáin Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support organisation and Carrick-on-Suir Meals Assistance Services.

Some of the veterans of that epic expedition are now gearing up to take on this longer cycling challenge starting in the West’s capital.

Nigel said the proceeds will be divided evenly between Ballyneale Community Field and the Dillon Quirke Foundation.

He said the funds will help Ballyneale Community Field group to progress with the next stage of the facility’s development, which is the provision of a meeting room and dressing rooms.

Funds raised for the Dillon Quirke Foundation, meanwhile, will go towards funding cardiac screening for young athletes. The Foundation was founded by the late Dillon Quirke’s family in the wake of the young Tipperary hurler’s death due to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Its goal is to protect other young people from SADS.

“We picked the Dillon Quirke Foundation because some of the cyclists have someone in their family with a heart issue,” Nigel explained. Anyone wishing to register to take part in the cycle should log onto the link: https://bit.ly/GalwayToDobber or via the QR code in the poster advertising the event, which is published at the end of this article.

Donations to the fundraising campaign can be made through the Galway to Lissadobber Cycle idonate page.

Galway to Lissadobber Charity Cycle Committee members Margaret Hanrahan, John Pierse Hearn and Nigel Hanrahan from Ballyneale/Lissadobber, special guests Tipperary hurler Robert Doyle and former Tipperary hurler and manager Declan Ryan and Galway to Lisadobber Charity Cycle Committee members Bridget Landy and Declan Blanchfield at the launch in Semple Stadium.

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