The Across Ireland motorcycle run is approaching again. 2014 marks the 10th year of this charity event and the call has gone out for willing participants.
This year’s two-wheeled fun run takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend (August 23rd and 24th) and will start from the Xtreme45 Motorcycle Shop, on the Old N1 road, North of Swords.
The run is a cross-country affair, travelling from Swords to Eyre Square in Galway, with an overnight stay for participants in the renowned and popular Hotel Clybaun, and on the Sunday, the return jaunt to Dublin.
This year, the Across Ireland organisers have announced that Teen Line Ireland are the charity who will reap the benefits of the funds raised. The run has a strong track record. Last year’s run rose €177,500 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, giving them a chance to make a seriously ill child’s dream into a reality for a day. This year’s choice of beneficiary was inspired by the alarming and often-quoted statistic concerning the suicide rate among young people in Ireland (the highest in Europe, after Lithuania). In a press release issued in mid-June, Nicky Carvin, organiser and spokesperson, alluded to the widespread nature of this problem with reference to the sad story of Darren Bolger, a teenager who committed suicide in 2003 at the age of 16. This became a paradigm case for the effects of teen suicide in Ireland, thanks to the work of Darren’s mother Maureen, who undertook a personal mission to highlight the lack of available support services for depressed young people in Ireland. It is in support of those services, like Teen Line Ireland, that this year’s Across Ireland cycle run is being held.
To pre-register for the cycle run and download a copy of the registration form, go to www.acrossireland.com
Image from Wikimedia commons
By Rúairí Conneely
