AER Lingus cabin crew worker Andrew Dunne is getting ready to rev his engine again for this year’s 1,000-kilometre Motorbike Around Ireland trip to raise money for Down Syndrome Ireland.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Donaghmede local will be joined by his son Lonan (16) who will act as navigator for the endurance trek around the country.
The father and son, who live on St Donagh’s Road, hope to match, if not better, the $10,000 that they raised for the worthy cause last year.
Andrew and Lonan will join around 120 other bikers and their pillion passengers on the trip that will see them criss-cross the country over two and a half days.
The event will start from Joe Duffy Motors, off the M50, on Saturday May 4.
“We don’t know where we are going to yet but it’s always great fun and for a very worthy cause,
? Andrew told Northside People.
“Lonan has been doing it with me since he was a young boy. It’s a great bonding experience for us even if he does spend some of the time sleeping and listening to music behind my back. It’s a tradition for us now.
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Andrew said he knows that times are tough for people financially and for this reason he’s capped donations at $5.
“People don’t have the money to give like they used to,
? he stated.
“I don’t want people to put themselves under any pressure to match any donations by others which is why I thought it would be a good idea to keep the maximum donation to $5.
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Andrew and his family are serial fundraisers, with charities not just at home but also abroad, benefiting from their blood, sweat and tears.
The Aer Lingus steward ran the Berlin Marathon and the Belin French 25-kilometre run in his time based in Germany from 1985 to 1992 with all money raised going towards Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin.
In the 1990s, Andrew also raised money for the Brain Research Foundation and the Blind Council by participating in both the Great Wall 200-mile Walk of China and the Amazon.
Completing five marathons in his lifetime is just another string to his physical and fundraising achievements.
All the money raised from the Motorbike Around Ireland fundraiser will go towards helping people with Down Syndrome and their families.