Ratoath to Istanbul... Intrepid duo cycle across Europe to raise money for medics working in Gaza
A Meath man and his Cork pal set out together from Ratoath on Sunday 6th July to begin a gruelling 3,620km cycle to Istanbul in order to raise money for Doctors Without Borders, a charity which cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, disasters and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries and currently under extreme pressure in Gaza.
Cycling specifically to raise money for health care in Palestine, Ratoath native Conor Kavanagh and Enda Francis-Devine of Cork left by bike Conor's home town with the aim of reaching Istanbul by late August.
The friends are using their bikes to travel across Europe while wild camping at night.
Conor began his journey from his front door in Meath, sporting his local Ratoath Rugby Club jersey along the way.
Conor said: "It's one of my three t-shirts that I've brought with me."
"We were inspired to take on this mission because of its challenging nature and long duration."
"I formulated this idea a year and a half ago, but recently seeing the genocide taking place in Gaza, we saw the opportunity to put this plan to good use and to donate to a great cause."
They are currently a few weeks into their journey after travelling through Ireland, the UK The Netherlands and Germany so far.
Conor went to primary school in Ratoath before crossing the border to attend secondary school in Dublin, before meeting Enda when he attended university.
He is now back living in his home town of Ratoath.
While the journey itself is a huge achievement for the two men, the main aspect of the project is the money raised for those in need.
"One of our biggest highlights was seeing how much money had been raised before we even left to undertake Project Gears for Gaza."
"We raised €1,500 before leaving and having only set up the donation page five days earlier."
The two men have raised just over €3,000 of their €10,000 target.
The encouragement from Conor's local community of Ratoath has been brilliant, supporting him from the beginning of his journey.
"Our local community in Ratoath was very supportive. They put up our posters, shared our posts among clubs and sent us messages of encouragement. "
"Another massive highlight so far was when we first arrived in England, having crossed the Welsh/English border."
"This was our first country down. We had a few doubters chiming in about our camping and biking abilities but this crossing really helped remove any doubt from our own minds."
"This feeling was exemplified massively when we arrived in Rotterdam, ready for mainland Europe. This was when we knew Istanbul was possible."
While the two men remain positive about their travels, they have faced some challenges along the way.
Conor said that the biggest physical challenge so far has been crossing the Peak District in the UK, as it was "full of steep, rough terrain making it impossible to cycle which meant we had to push our bikes across the district but the gratification of making it down the other side made it worth it."
Another challenge the men have both faced individually is developing a social media presence in order to spread awareness of their chosen charity and raise money online.
"We post daily update videos, where we talk to the camera, explaining the struggles and encouraging support. All of which we feel has massively benefited the cause but this has also put myself and Enda a little bit out of our comfort zone in the social media world."
"It can be difficult to spread awareness while also facing the daily challenges of finding food and clean water, charging our devices, and finding suitable camping spots."
Conor and Enda's journey can be followed along on their Instagram accounts which will be linked below.
Any support is appreciated for this fantastic cause. A follow on Instagram, a share on social media or a small donation are all ways to show encouragement and support.
Link to Conor's social media here.
Link to Enda's social media here.
Donations can be made here.