Athlone group returns after Lourdes fundraising cycle
Shortly before Easter a significant Athlone contingent travelled to the South of France where they cycled approximately 900 kilometres in less than a week in order to raise funds for The Irish Pilgrimage Trust.
The group of more than ten locals from Athlone and surrounding areas joined around 80 others in the cycle from Nice to Lourdes.
Every two years, the Clarinbridge-based Irish Pilgrimage Trust hosts the major fundraising cycle to support its work in bringing children and young people with special needs on pilgrimages to Lourdes.
Participants in the cycle each have to raise at least €3,000 for the charity, and also pay their own travel fares.
Locals taking part this year included Cormac and Billy Nott, Declan Walsh, Richie O'Hara, Alan McNiece, June Robbins, Joe Fallon and Carmel Naughton.
Others from the Athlone area who took part in the cycle or assisted with its back-up support included Kevin Murray, Michael Murtagh, Brigid Keane, Michael Keane and Francis Keane.
Coosan resident Billy Nott was taking part in the cycle for the fourth time. It was his third time completing it in France, and he also participated in the 2022 cycle which was held in Ireland due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We took off on Saturday, March 23, and arrived in Lourdes on Good Friday, March 29. There was a storm on the Wednesday, so that day was blown out. And, I can tell you, I was glad of the break!" he said.
"It is a huge challenge. Cyclists from all over the country do it. Most of them are younger people - myself and Declan Walsh from Coosan were the two senior members of the outfit!"
Cycling distances of up to 175km a day, the group stayed overnight in cities such as Marseille and Carcassonne before reaching Lourdes on the afternoon of Good Friday.
Billy raised his contribution for the Irish Pilgrimage Trust through the holding of table quizzes and Athlone Little Theatre events, and he said everyone who took part was very grateful to the local people who supported this fundraiser.
Richie O'Hara, of Baysports in Hodson Bay, was completing the cycle for the third time, having taken part in France in 2018 and in Ireland in 2022.
"It was a great experience," said Richie. "The longest trip we did in one day was 175km. On another day we did 165km, and on another day 161km.
"So they were big distances, and to do a big distance like that in any given day gives you a good sense of purpose and achievement."
Four hundred people with additional needs are brought to Lourdes free of charge by the Irish Pilgrimage Trust every Easter, thanks to the assistance and fundraising of its supporters and volunteers.