From The North Pole Inn to The South Pole Inn

fixie fox

An epic challenge in support of Barnardos.

Cycle 570 km down Ireland’s rugged west coast over four days in June 2013 from The North Pole Inn (Buncrana) to The South Pole Inn (Annascaul).


Children’s charity Barnardos has been chosen as the recipient of a charity event organised by Con Collins, publisher at Cork-based book publisher The Collins Press. This 570-km cycle down Ireland’s west coast starts at The North Pole Inn in Buncrana, County Donegal, on Monday 17 June and ends at The South Pole Inn in Annascaul, County Kerry, on Friday 21 June, just in time for The Annascaul Tom Crean International Festival.

Con explains his reasons behind this epic challenge, ‘In 2008, I was part of a group that completed the traverse of South Georgia, Antarctica, in the footsteps of Shackleton. Also in the group was Jerry O’Sullivan. In 2010, Jerry lost all his fingers as a result of an accident while descending from the summit of Mount McKinley in Alaska. Last year, I decided to organise a fund-raising walk to help with the cost of Jerry’s prostheses. The walk on MacGillycuddys Reeks was a great success on a lovely sunny day. Eighty-one people participated and €15,000 was raised. I thought something like this could be organised every year for a charitable cause.’

Here is Con’s plan for this year: Summer 2013 is the centenary of the presentation of the Albert and Polar Medals to Tom Crean, until recently an unsung hero in Ireland. To mark this, a weekend of events is planned in Annascaul. This seemed an appropriate event around which to do something for a charity, so a cycle from North to South was selected, arriving in Annascaul for the festival. The target is to get fifty participants. Each participant will contribute/raise €500 towards this often unsung charity. The cost of participation is €600 which includes bus transfer from Cork to Buncrana; four nights dinner and B&B; baggage transfer and support staff. The Dingle Brewing Company will be there at the end of each day with Tom Crean Lager to assist with rehydration.

For more information and to sign up for this cycle challenge in support of a worthy charity, visit http://www.give2go.ie/pages/give2go-events-detail/From_The_North_Pole_Inn_to_The_South_Pole_Inn.



The Annascaul Tom Crean International Festival takes place from 21–23 June 2013 in Annascaul, County Kerry. The theme is Endurance and there will be music, drama, adventure and education in this wonderful village and they will be welcoming visitors from all over the world.