May the road rise to meet you!!!

We found it very difficult to leave the comfort and luxury of the Bantry House B+B this morning. What an amazing experience it was staying in such an incredibly beautiful house, we'd highly recommend staying there as not only is sleeping in such a beautiful and historic house and gardens a great experience but the warm welcome and the hearty breakfast are an experience in itself!!!



Conor in the tunnel into Kerry at the top of the Caha Pass



We eventually hit the road and headed for the Cork-Kerry border, through Glengarriff and up over the Caha pass. Whoever said ''May the road rise to meet you'' has obviously never cycled up over the Caha pass!!!!
Whilst the climb was tough, the incredible scenery and the speedy downhill on the other side made it all the worth while!!

We got a great welcome from the staff of the Park Hotel in Kenmare where we stopped for a spot of lunch. Two smelly boys in Lycra probably wouldn't be the usual clientele for such a luxurious hotel but nonetheless we were given a great welcome!!
After leaving Kenmare, we headed out the road for Sneem. We arrived at the gorgeous Sneem Hotel to a warm reception in the early evening, absolutely shattered after what has been our longest day so far, but despite the sore and tired legs with look back on the day with a sense of pride and achievement.

Finally all the Cycling for CF team would like to say a massive heartfelt thank you to everybody who has donated so far, this evening we passed the €7500 mark!!! Whilst we are delighted to have passed our target we will continue to raise money for the CFAI as they rely completely on fundraising such as this.....so please keep spreading the word!!!

We'll rest well tonight, looking forward to our spin out to Valentia Island tomorrow.

Mizen head!!

We awoke this morning in the comfortable Rookery Cottage B&B to a hearty breakfast cooked by our hostess with the mostest, Rita!! What can we say people, except if you are ever down in the Schull area, the only place to stay is in the Rookery Lodge B&B.



Bell and compass, at the southernmost point



After breakfast we were thrilled to meet Denis Coughlan, who came to wish us all the best with his sister Katie and mother Mary. This gave us a real buzz before hitting the road.

After spending a brilliant evening in Schull with members of the Cycling for CF team (Avril, Joe, Joanne and Eamon), it was with a heavy heart that we hit the road this morning. Whilst we were sad to say goodbye to our friends, we were delighted to have swanky new go-faster accessories for our bikes.

We left Schull and headed out the road towards Mizen Head, passing through some beautiful areas including Goleen, Toormore and Barley Cove. By mid morning we reached Mizen Head, Ireland's Southernmost tip which we were reliably informed by local cartographer Gareth Phelan, is the furthest point from home! However with such beautiful scenery, including Cape clear and the Fastnet Lighthouse on the horizon, it was impossible to feel homesick.

We then headed back towards Bantry, stopping in Durrus for Lunch. It is fair to say we were both gobsmacked by the ornate beauty of the Bantry house and Gardens, which is set to be our home for the night. After dumping our bags in our room we explored the 17th Century house and gardens. The house itself is incredibly beautiful, with so many rooms filled with antique furniture and ornate paintings. However, despite its beauty, we will both have trouble sleeping as a house of this age must surely be haunted!!!

Tomorrow we will be heading across the border into Kerry, through Kenmare and on to Sneem. The next few days will be spent in some of the most beautiful (and mountainous) areas of Ireland, lets just hope the weather stays fine!!!!

Be good!

Into the West (of Cork)

We have just arrived in Schull to a great welcome from Hackett's Bar. After leaving the Celtic Ross Hotel behind in Rosscarbery, we cycled the scenic coast road from Rosscarbery, across the bridge at Glandore.

Avril arranged for us to stay in the Rookery Cottage B&B, a fantastic place run by a really friendly family. This evening we will be joined by Avril, our friends Emma, Joe and Joanne. Munster have already won their game, now we just need Leinster to win theirs and it will be a perfect evening!

The plan for tomorrow is to head down to Mizen head, before heading up to Bantry. So far the weather has been a huge help to us, we hope it will last for a few more days so we can see Cork and Kerry in the sunshine.

Cathal's Aunt Fiona, along with her son Bill, have raised loads of funds through a staff room collection in Ballyroan Boys School. Many thanks to them and also the staff in Ballyroan for the support.

Cork City!!!!

We were delighted to arrive in Cork City this afternoon but even more delighted with the incredibly warm welcome we received!!!
What an honour it was to be greeted by a welcoming party on the steps of Cork City Hall! The party included the Lord Mayor of Cork Michael O'Connell and the Lady Mayoress Christine O'Connell, as well as Cllr Kieran McCarthy and Con and  Callow O'Sullivan from the CFAI.
We were also honoured to be asked to sign the visitors book in the Lord Mayor's office, where our signatures can now be found alongside celebrities such as Jedward and Séan Kelly.
Many thanks to Cliona for setting up this unforgettable reception for us in City Hall!


After leaving the City we headed back out the road to the Radisson Hotel, not before Conor managed to have a near death experience involving a stick (long story!)  but we eventually arrived safe and sound and are delighted to be settled into our luxurious rooms in the Radisson on Little Island.

Both of us are really looking forward chilling out on our day off tomorrow.

PS. Check out our facebook and flickr for photos of the past few days!! Also keep an eye on tomorrows Irish Examiner and tonight's Evening Echo as there should be a mention and photo of us!!! We also hope to be on Life 93.1fm tomorrow. Big thanks again to Cliona for arranging all this publicity!

What's up Youghal?!!

Firstly, a huge thanks to Cliona for arranging a studio interview with WLR and Beat FM, the two "trendiest" radio stations in Waterford. 
We arrived in Youghal after another scorching hot day. This weather was NOT in the brochure, but is very welcome to stay!
The cycle from Waterford has been the toughest day so far. We encountered some leg burning climbs, but the views from the top almost made it worth it!
Liam and Ben McCarthy paid us a visit in Youghal, and we were delighted to get the chance to meet them. Apologies to Ben's teachers for making him miss school, we will accept all responsibilities!
Tomorrow afternoon we will be greeted by the Lord Mayor of Cork at the steps of City Hall at 2:30, so if anyone would like to come out to say hello we'd love to see you there.
We will be posting photos really soon, promise... So keep an eye on our facebook and flickr pages for pictures of our sending off on Saturday (with photos from Michael Delaney and Cormac Phelan), as well as photos of the lads (accompanied by Jimmy Murphy and the unfunny Mark Gilvarry) on the road.

Succesful send off for day one of the trip





We would like to thank everyone who came out on Saturday morning to send us off on our cycle. It was amazing to have so much support.

Huge thanks to the Herbert Park Hotel for providing a great venue for our send off.

We were also delighted to be joined by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan, Dr. James Reilly Fine Gael Spokesperson fro Health , and Cathaoirleach Cllr Lettie McCarthy.

After leaving Herbert park, we spun up the N11 towards Wicklow. We were delighted to be joined by friends and family, including Niall Phelan who could only manage to make it as far as Fosters Avenue due to the great weight of his magnificent moustache.

Now joined by Mark Gilvarry and Jimmy Murphy, the group of four stopped in Ashford to enjoy a great spread put on by Jenny and Brian Purcell whom we can't thank enough for their warm welcome, delicious sandwiches and tea.

We arrived in Arklow late afternoon where we were sad to say goodbye to Jimmy, who had to then cycle all the way back to Dublin!!!

Day 2!

We left the cosy Port-a-chalaigh B&B and headed out the scenic coast road towards Wexford.

Highlights of the Day included Mark Gilvarry's awful jokes, breakfast in Courtown, lunch in Blackwater with the Phelan family and Conor falling on his backside upon arriving in Wexford town!

We received a warm welcome from Vera and Brian Rafferty followed by a delicious feed and cosy beds!

Both of us are feeling fine and are looking forward to heading for Waterford City tomorrow where we will round the corner and begin heading West!!!

Chat with Joe Duffy on Liveline.

On Tuesday October 5th there was a great piece on Joe Duffy's Liveline show about Cystic Fibrosis. The segment highlighted the shamefully low standard of treatment facilities available to people living with CF in Ireland.

The people Joe spoke to included people living with CF, their family members and friends. All of whom spoke with great courage and dignity.

The one clear message that stood out from the segment was that something needs to be done immediately.

Cycling for CF also got a mention with Joe talking to Conor about the project.

To listen to the show visit www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/
Scroll down to Tuesday Oct 5th, click listen back and skip to 15mins in to hear the piece and Conor chatting to Joe about 1hr and 5mins in.

Don't forget we'll be leaving from Herbert Park (the bandstand) at 10am on Saturday the 9th. All are welcome to come and cheer us on and sure bring your bike if you fancy a spin out the coast towards Arklow!!!