By Julie McLaughlin
A local man is cycling from one end of the island of Ireland to the other to raise money for a cancer charity close to home.
Alan Blakely (63), from the Castlewellan area, is undertaking the challenge of cycling from Mizen Head in County Cork to Malin Head in County Donegal. Mizen Head is the most southwesterly point on the main island of Ireland, while Malin Head is the most northerly. The journey, spanning more than 600 miles, is in aid of the Cancer Fund for Children, which runs Daisy Lodge near Newcastle—a respite centre for children and families affected by cancer.
Alan won’t be doing it alone. He’ll be joined by his brother Andrew Blakely (57), who lives in Adelaide, Australia, and his friend Geoff Wood (69), who is travelling from Kokomo, Indiana, in the United States. “Geoff loves Ireland, so he wants to see more of it,” said Alan.
Their journey begins this weekend as the three men—each from different continents—make their way to County Cork. Andrew is set to arrive on Friday night from Australia, while Geoff will land in Dublin on Saturday morning. The trio will then meet in Dublin and travel to Mizen Head to begin their cycling adventure on Sunday morning.
Over 12 days in June, the men plan to cycle more than 50 miles per day, with accommodation arranged at local venues along the route to ensure they are well rested. They also plan to take a rest day when they reach Galway. Their goal is to arrive at Malin Head by Friday, 20 June.
Alan’s wife, Karen Blakely, will be supporting them throughout the journey, driving a support vehicle carrying their essential equipment. To prepare for the challenge, Alan has been cycling as often as possible at home, and he recently joined Geoff for some practice rides in Indiana. “I’ve been cycling at home as regularly as I can. As often as I can, I’m out,” he said.
Alan, who runs Funny Farm Adventures caravan and camping site and also works at Castlewellan Castle as part of the maintenance team, first took up cycling during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Inspired by the famous Land’s End to John O’Groats route in Great Britain, he came up with the idea for a long-distance Irish challenge—and Andrew and Geoff quickly signed up to join him.
He then decided to turn the trip into a fundraiser for the Cancer Fund for Children. “I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, why not raise money for some cause?’” he said.
Although this is Alan’s first major fundraising effort for the charity, he’s no stranger to charitable work. Before the pandemic, he travelled to Uganda a dozen times to help with building and maintenance projects through the organisations Fields of Life and New Beginnings. “[Uganda] is very close to my heart,” he said. “But I just thought the Cancer Fund for Children was a good cause to support.”
Alan hopes the money raised will help “ensure that more families in need can benefit from the care and respite they provide.” His target is to raise at least £2,000. Donations can be made through his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/alanblakely-cycleireland.
In addition to fundraising support, Alan welcomes prayers for safety on the road—and for dry weather. “If people want to pray for good weather – it would be a bonus if we didn’t get rained on every day,” he said.
