Donegal UCD Veterinary student to cycle Mizen to Malin for charity

A group of UCD veterinary students, including Donegal’s Tommy O’Brien, are set to cycle the length of Ireland to raise money for Cian’s Kennels charity.

Tommy will be completing the cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head with his fellow students, Eoin McLoughlin, Dermot Pierse, Jack McKeever, and Olin Giles.

The challenge begins in Mizen on July 2 and will be concluded at Malin Head in Donegal on July 5, and the veterinary students hope to raise €2,000 for charity.

Cian’s Kennels, which is the chosen charity, was established by Evelyn and Enda Neary in memory of their son, Cian, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 15 from a rare form of cancer. 

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The family found that Cian’s interactions with a new family pet, Cooper, would bring him joy during the difficult periods of his illness. The charity has since been able to organise visits between sick children and their own family pets in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin.

Speaking to Donegal Live, Olin Giles said: “Last year, myself and four of the other lads in my year decided to take on a challenge to raise money for a charity called Cian’s Kennels.

“One guy suggested that we cycle the length of the country. We have been doing our training and we are setting off from Mizen on Wednesday. We are finishing up on Saturday in Malin.

“We would like to raise extra money for the charity and raise awareness. We thought that it matched our career choices. It links together animals and the bond they have with children. It includes dogs, and we thought it would be a perfect charity for us.

“A GoFundMe page has been set up, and our objective is to raise €2,000. People can donate straight to that, and it goes straight to the charity.”

Go to GoFundMe online and search ‘Cycling the length of Ireland for Cian’s Kennels’ should you wish to donate.