Kieran takes on sea swim challenge for South Tipperary Hospice

The impact of having witnessed the destruction serious illness can cause in a family has inspired a Clonmel solicitor to take on a Beat the Ferry sea swim challenge to raise funds for South Tipperary Hospice.

74-year-old Kieran Cleary will take on the challenge on Saturday, July 29 when he will swim from Passage East in county Waterford to Ballyhack in county Wexford.

Uppermost in his mind throughout his intensive preparation schedule over the last few months has been his desire to support the South Tipperary Hospice to continue the incredible work they do in the community by supporting families and their loved ones who are in need of end of life care.

The trauma brought upon a family by serious ill health has motivated Kieran to take on the arduous challenge.
Kieran witnessed at first hand how serious illness can have such a devastating effect on a family, a network of friends and the community when he saw the health of his great friend Brendan Daly decline in such a frightening way.
Brendan, who bravely battled Motor Neuron disease, passed away in May of last year.

His great friend Kieran has now decided to take on a challenge in memory of Brendan and a desire to help families who find themselves facing very difficult life challenges.
Kieran, a familiar face to many given the long number of years he has been running on the roads of Clonmel with lifelong running colleagues Pierce Purcell and Cyril Darmody, will take on a different test of fitness in the Beat the Ferry challenge.

He remembers learning how to swim in Clonmel pool under the guidance of poolmanager Michael Butler many years ago.
“It took me a year to swim from one side of the pool to the other,” said Kieran.
He only took up swimming because he was afraid of his life watching his grandchildren swimming on a holiday in Greece one year as he stood on the beach.
“I told myself then that I had to learn how to swim. I do swim in the sea now, but mostly, only in the summer months,” said Kieran.
Kieran is nearing the end of a punishing training schedule that he started last January.

He will be among 250 swimmers on the day each doing the swim for their own cause.
Kieran is looking forward to being greeted at the end of the swim by his wife Mary and his six grandchildren.
A father of three, Sinead, Cliona and Roger , Kieran said the swim will take about an hour.
His training schedule for this challenge started in January when he swam in the sea twice a week.
It was the first time Kieran had ever done sea swimming in the winter months.

Animal cruelty outcry in Tipperary following RTE Investigates programme

Over the last few months he gradually increased the number of sea swims.
He was doing four sea swims by April and is now ready to take on the challenge on July 29.
“I mostly go to Clonea to swim in the sea. There is a wonderful sea swimming club there. It is just incredible to relieve stress, you forget everything else when you are swimming in the sea, I would recommend it to anyone,” said Kieran.

Kieran is raising funds for South Tipperary Hospice and is asking his colleagues in the legal profession in neighbouring counties to support him in his bid to raise funds for such a good cause.
“I have reached out to my friends in the legal profession in Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny and will extend that out to a nationwide appeal to legal colleagues in other counties,” said Kieran.