Childrens Lifeline Challenge - The Whole Way Round.

1200km Motorcycling Challenge

On July 4th – 7th 2008 we were involved with this trip which brought us and 120 other bikers on a wonderful trip across Ireland up to Donegal and back to Dublin via Carlingford. The ride was a fund raiser for Crumlin Children’s Hospital, organised by a committee of young guys whose mothers should be really proud of them!!

From start to finish the trip worked like clockwork, with the odd exception, i.e. the trip to Achill which involved going across Achill sound and back again – but hey, we can still say we were in Achill at the weekend, and it was a good opportunity to rib Darren about his navigational skills!!

We all met in Mondello Park early Friday morning, where we were fed by the Bagel Factory on guess what – bagels! They were very welcome along with the coffee served as many of us had been up early to travel across the country to meet the gang, like Eileen, Oliver, and David, and many others.

A trip around the track was mandatory and a thrill for those of us who never envisaged ever going around "Mondello" the racing track of Ireland!! This was followed by much tooting of horns and revving of engines as we set off on our journey across the country via Tullamore to Ballinasloe, where we had our first official stop for lunch and refuelling – the day was bright and warm with no sign of rain so everyone was in high spirits. After lunch we headed for Galway and the Clayton Hotel where we were treated to Mattie Griffin’s stunt show – an amazing performance by this young guy but definitely not to be repeated by any of us guys at home  – way too much grey hair and stiff knees for that lark!

On to Cong, and a quick trip over the "Quiet Man" bridge, and west again through stunning scenery to our final destination in Westport – a welcome sight at the end of an exciting trip. Bikes were quickly put to bed, and riders headed for baths and showers, and a quick drink before dinner – this was followed by  the "Burley Bikers Rock, Scissors, Paper Championship" which was a great bit of diversion and not too strenuous which was probably just as well as energy levels were low. Mind you this wasn’t the case for everyone as quite a few headed up town to have a look at the Fleadh activities taking place and rumour had it that even Michael Flattley was seen!

Next day, Saturday, after breakfast and briefing, we loaded up our bikes – a fine mist was falling but cleared as the day went on, and off we went to visit Achill first – a brief but interesting visit – it will be a nice bridge when it’s finished!! This was followed by a circuitous trip to Sligo, arriving at the Sligo Park for lunch – more Bagels, but with glorious fillings. It would make you realise what you have been missing all your life by not having a bagel for lunch!!

We than travelled in convoy all the way past Donegal town to Killybegs and eventually the little village of Kilcar, where we were treated to tea and sandwiches in the local pub, and given a great welcome by the locals – the kids were thrilled to meet Shane Byrne – yes that Shane Byrne with the Hair, that has played Rugby for Ireland on so many occasions – we reckon there might very well be a Heineken Cup team from Donegal in the years ahead, thanks to the impression left by Shane! Irish music was played for us, and we all had a ball – many thanks to the people of Kilcar for such a warm welcome!

All was not over yet – we had a fantastic drive up through Glencolumcille, a long winding road through stunning scenery, making you feel that Ireland really has it all, if we just took the time to look around us! Back to Donegal town  and time for a walk around the harbour before dinner – hard to believe the rest of the country seemed to be suffering a downpour, as we sat in glorious sunshine watching the world go by!  After dinner we were treated to a preview of last year’s trip on DVD – we nearly didn’t look at it as we were tired, but after the first few minutes it was impossible to pull ourselves away from it – great entertainment and left you feeling really grateful  to have the opportunity to partake in this event.

Next morning we were greeted by rain, which didn’t really let up all day, but that didn’t dampen the spirits. By this time on the tour, all shyness had disappeared and it was so easy to chat to whomever you found around you, young or old, male or female, we had all become, for a short time, part of something very different from our everyday lives, and the camaraderie was great.

Our destination was Dundalk via Enniskillen and Carlingford, with a stop in the beautiful village of Redhills on the way for lunch – again a great welcome from the locals, and great sandwiches in the local pub. The rain got considerably heavier as we arrived in Carlingford, again a lovely place that most of us probably hadn’t been to before, just a pity it was so wet, however all was not lost as most of us found our way to a pub for hot liquid to restore the energy levels.

That evening we spent in the Carrickdale Hotel outside Dundalk, where we had a lovely meal and great entertainment afterwards – firstly we had the "Awards" a rather dubious ceremony which honoured everything from the "Safest Rider" – Mandy, to the "Shane Byrne Best Hair Award" – the Mohican! This was followed by a superb performance by our very own Elvis Look alike – he was brilliant and we all thoroughly enjoyed the show – well done!

Next morning we all reluctantly packed our bags for the last time, and after a meandering trip through North County Meath, lunch and a Garda escort from outside Dublin, we ended a wonderful weekend back at Crumlin Children’s Hospital. This is what it was all about in the first place – everyone was thrilled with the trip, the friends they made and the places they saw, and the icing on the cake was to see so much money being raised for such a good cause.

Once again, well done to Eoin, Jason, Ross, Johan and Phil – and of course the marshalling team – we look forward to seeing you all again next year!

Henry and Lynda (Deverell)
Annaharvey Farm
Tullamore
Co. Offaly

Tel.+353 (0)5793 43544