MONTHS of arduous training paid off for an intrepid team of Northside fundraisers when they successfully completed a rowing challenge from Ireland to France.
A crew of 17 men and women, from the Dublin Airport Authority (daa), became the first team ever to row a 17-foot Celtic
Longboat between the two countries.
Team Endeavoar rowed for a total of more than 70 hours – in rotation of five rowers at a time – across 500km of open water from Dunmore East in County Waterford to Landeda Brittany in Northern France.
The hardy crew managed to row 300km over the first two days, reaching the Scilly Isles, England, after 40 hours.
Support boats were refuelled and loaded with provisions before the rowers continued on the final 200km of the journey to France which took approximately 30 hours.
Team Endeavoar, led by inspirational captain Brian Dempsey, a member of the Airport Police and Fire Service, took part in the challenge to raise funds for the daa’s three charity partners: Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and the Diabetes Unit at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin.
Over the past nine years, daa staff have donated more than
?¬1.5 million to 12 Irish charities.
Chairperson of daa’s charity committee, Siobhán O’Donnell, congratulated the team.
“They were incredibly dedicated and focussed on completing this challenge and in raising substantial funds for our three charity partners,
? she said.
Charity donations can still be made for the Endeavoar Challenge: text
‘OCEAN’ to 50300 to make a
?¬2 donation. For more information, visit www.endeavoar.ie