Tallaght Wheelers raise almost €4,000 in 212km cycle to Galway’s Eyre Square

Tallaght Wheelers Cycling Club recently organised a fundraising event which saw them cycle 212km from Dublin to Eyre Square Galway in support of Women’s Aid, raising over €3,700 in the process.

Ten women took part in the event. The route across the country involved stops in Enfield, Moate, Ballinasloe, Loughrea and then finally Eyre Square in Galway City.

The trip took nine hours of actual cycle time, however when accounting for the stops and breaks the overall trip was over 12 hours. The members were supported by a van and a car on the way to make sure that everything ran smoothly.

We spoke to event organiser Emma Billane.

“Ah look, I don’t think any of us had ever done 212km before. For a lot of the women it was their first time ever cycling that distance.

‘There was a lot of apprehension. Will I be able to do it? Will I manage it? We just broke it up into bite sized chunks.

‘We all encouraged each other to get through it. It was challenging – it wasn’t ridiculously difficult, but it wasn’t easy either. I don’t think any of us had cycled 212km in one day like that. We all helped each other through it.”

Billane spoke of the sense of camaraderie that events such as the 212km cycle can develop.

“We were all exhausted, but all had big smiles on our faces. We were all delighted we did it, it was such a sense of achievement for us all. We couldn’t believe that we did it.”

Women’s Aid is a national, feminist organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse including coercive control, in Ireland since 1974.

This year marks a landmark milestone for Women’s Aid. The organisation has been supporting generations of women and their children for 50 years.

Donations can be made to the Tallaght Wheelers fundraiser at Here.