A young Letterkenny man is having a well-earned rest this week after finishing a charity cycle around Ireland.
Luke Murphy, 22, a recent graduate of UCD, has been on the road for the past seven weeks on a mission to visit each of the 32 counties.
The mammoth task took him 51 days, along with 25 nights of camping and 25 nights spent with hosts, family and friends.
And he has raised almost €1,000 along the way for the Ronald McDonald House at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.
Luke received a warm welcome back home on Sunday as he completed the tour.
Speaking to Donegal Daily, he said the inspiration for the trip was a mix of wanderlust and charity.
“I didn’t really cycle before this, I just went out and did it,” he said.
“I hitchhiked across America last year, which was a lot of fun and I suppose I got a travel bug from that.
“I was exploring the globe a lot and I realised that I didn’t know Ireland very well.”
Luke Murphy in Leitrim on his 32 county cycle. Photo: @lukeout97
The cycling idea first came from the ‘Tour de Picnic’ charity cycle, which sees people cycling 80km to Electric Picnic in exchange for a festival ticket. Luke decided to go many miles further and do a sponsored cycle to every county instead.
He said: “When I read up on the charities of the Tour I realised there was one I really believed in, the Ronald McDonald House. My parents would have used the house before, when their first born passed away. He was three years old and passed away from cancer, he would have been 35 now.”
Luke Murphy at the Ronald McDonald House. Photo: @lukeout97
With an important cause to spur him on, Luke made it through the many highs and lows of the journey.
“It was a roller coaster,” he said.
Luke made time to see the sights and meet many characters across the country. He also rewarded himself with a pint of Guinness in every county, but looking back, he said he couldn’t pick a favourite pour.
“I could pick a few that weren’t all that great. It depended on the bar and who is serving it. I poured myself one in the Guinness Storehouse and that was a particularly good one,” Luke said.
Luke Murphy at the Guinness Storehouse. Photo: @lukeout97
After battling the elements, sore knees and hills, his final stretch turned out to be the most challenging.
“The day before Letterkenny, I cycled along the Ulster coast and I was getting the ferry from Derry to Donegal. The next thing I know I’ve got a flat tyre. I hadn’t got a flat tyre since Cork. Then the other tyre explodes on me. The only spares I had were the ones that had busted before.
“That five minutes to the ferry was one of the worst trips but I couldn’t give up. I had to do Malin to Mizen. Thankfully my dad came up to meet me at Malin and we eventually got sorted and cycled on up.”
Cycling is ‘grand’, according to Luke, but carrying the weight of the gear was the biggest effort. And he’ll be hitting the road again at the end of the month to claim his well-earned Electric Picnic ticket.
“The bottom line is that if you want to do something, just do it,” Luke said.
If you would like to support Luke’s successful cycle, please visit: https://www.giv2go.com/fundraising-events/tour-de-picnic-2019-114/profile/Luke-12084
Money raised will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House to support families with sick children.
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