Lough Derg RNLI fundraising Lough Derg cycle raises €24,000 for lifeboat service

This year’s Lough Derg RNLI’s fundraising committee’s Lap the Lake cycle raised €24,000, it has been revealed.

Some 304 cyclists took part in the event on May 6, a significant increase in numbers from last year with the new option to either complete a 120km route or a shorter 65km course.

The longer route took participants on a full circuit of Lough Derg, giving entrants the chance to cycle through three counties, Tipperary, Clare and Galway.

The shorter route took cyclists to just beyond Killaloe, to a turnaround point at the Twomilegate lakeside amenity park.

Both routes gave participants the opportunity to delight in the outstanding beauty of the lake and the River Shannon.

The event started and finished at Lough Derg Yacht Club where the RNLI lifeboat the Jean Spier is based.

Niamh McCutcheon, chair of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee and the Lap the Lake Committee, said thanked the cycling committee of Ena Butler, Veronica Plunkett, Hilda Hamilton, Laura Clarke, Jonathan Horgan, Joe Hughes, John MacMahon and Mike Molamphy.

The committee also thanked the gardai in Nenagh, the Order of Malta, North Tipperary Wheelers, Nenagh Dive Club and the sweepers who encouraged and helped cyclists around the route.

Others who helped out included Casa Street Kitchen who provided food, Noreen O’Sullivan, refreshments, and James Corballis, volunteer crew with Galway RNLI who provided the sound system for entertainment for the participants and their families on their return to Dromineer.

Next year is the 200th anniversary of the RNLI so great celebrations are planned, said Niamh.

Christine O’Malley, lifeboat operations manager at Lough Derg RNLI, said: “Lap the Lake was a fabulous event meticulously organised by the fundraising team. Hundreds of cyclists enjoyed the beauty of Lough Derg while raising essential funds for the RNLI, a charity that saves lives on the water and works to prevent drowning.”

Laura Clarke, Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee said: “There was tremendous anticipation and excitement leading up to the event, which could not have taken place without the support of the vast numbers of volunteers and of course the 304 cyclists and sponsors.”

RNLI Lifeboat volunteers brought the station’s lifeboat  Jean Spier  to the public harbour in Dromineer and to other harbours around the lake, and answered questions about the RNLI, its lifesaving work and, of course, the lifeboat itself. 

The fundraising committee thanked all their sponsors for their support for the event.