A fundraising cycle in aid of suicide prevention charity Pieta House West attracted an "unbelievable" response from the community in South Roscommon last weekend, according to one of its main organisers.

Drum man Tom Devine said on Monday evening that the final sum raised by the event wouldn't be known for a couple of weeks, but €10,000 had already been counted by that stage.

The cycle took place in various stages between Galway and Johnstown. Fifty people set out from Johnstown early on Saturday morning and cycled to Renmore Army barracks in Galway, before making the return journey to South Roscommon.

A further 34 people cycled one-way from Galway to Johnstown, and over 40 participated in a 'fun cycle' from the Birch Grove pub, Ballinasloe, to Connaughton's pub in Clonark.

This latter, 6.7 mile, cycle was led by 91-year-old Jim McManus from Nure, Drum.

Another twenty people took part in an organised walk from Millar's pub in Ballydangan to Connaughton's as part of the fundraiser.

One of the day's most emotional moments came at the Clann na nGael clubhouse in Johnstown after the cycle.

Tom Devine's 22-year-old son Gerry died by suicide in 1998. Just a week before his death, he played for an Athlone IT soccer team which won the Irish Colleges Cup competition in Galway.

Gerry had kicked off his boots following the match and those boots - with their laces still tied - were given to one of his team-mates in the AIT side, Gordon Brett, after he took his life.

Gordon, who is chairman of the Shannonside Cycling Club, was the chief marshall organising the safety aspects of last weekend's cycle. Afterwards, at the clubhouse in Johnstown, he spoke about receiving Gerry's boots and the importance of remembering the contribution made by those who had died.

Tom said: "There were over 100 people in the clubhouse after the cycle and when Gerry's boots were mentioned there wasn't a dry eye in the room."

He recalled some of the many acts of generosity which had been shown by local people keen to support the fundraiser.

One example involved John Finnerty from Moore, who wanted to take part in the cycle but couldn't do so because of injury. Instead he decided to organise a darts tournament in Lawrencetown, Co Galway, and a sum of over €500 which the tournament raised for Pieta House West was presented to Tom at the weekend.

Another example was when the proprietor of Barry's Cycles in Ballinasloe heard Tom would be cycling his late son's bike at the weekend and volunteered to service it to ensure it would road-ready after being idle for the fourteen years since Gerry's death.

Tom is a former member of the Defence Forces and he also praised the contribution which they made to the event. The Defence Forces provided safety and medical support for the cyclists and also laid on food for the participants at Renmore Barracks and in Johnstown.

The night concluded with a festival of music at Connaughton's pub. Tom encouraged all those who had not yet returned sponsorship cards from the event to please do so.

He intends to continue fundraising for suicide prevention groups and drawing attention to an issue which affects a huge number of Irish families.