Dublin (top) and Breifne Earley
Oh.
The one 60km north of Adelaide, Australia silly.
Breifne Earley writes:
I am 33 years originally from Leitrim, and in late 2010 I weighed twenty stone, was bitterly unhappy in my professional life, single with no prospects and came to the point of considering taking my own life.
I made a different decision during that time to change my life around and with the help of a bucket list, my personal challenge ten, I lost 25 kgs, learned to swim and cook, completed a marathon, triathlons, cycled around New Zealand and countless other sporting events and went on fifty blind dates during the year.
Four years later, as an ambassador for Cycle Against Suicide, I’m six months into a 30,000km cycle around the entire planet to try to raise awareness of suicide prevention, mental health and depression. I have been giving talks in schools and have been featured in numerous media outlets along the route so far. I’m hoping that my story will be an example to other vulnerable people that there is an option, that live can be lived and enjoyed again regardless of how dark the situation might be.
Whether it’s financial issues, professional dissatisfaction, body issues, relationship breakdown or any other of a multitude of issues which causes this dilemma to raise it’s ugly head, Suicide remains a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
I am currently in Adelaide, South Australia after visiting Dublin and after pedalling across 20 countries in Europe, the Indian Sub Continent, South East Asia and from Perth to Adelaide. Over the next six months I will complete the circumnavigation through the remainder of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, Mexico, Spain, France, UK and Ireland.
To help make this a reality I have been shortlisted for a grant towards the remaining costs of this trip, specifically spare parts and flights, from the Version 1 Community Trust and require votes to secure first place and the accompanying grant. I am currently leading the competition but by a very ‘slim’ margin….”
Votes are cast through Facebook here
Read Breifne’s daily blog here.
Done!
PS – Breifne blog link no werky
Well done that man!
I’d be suicidal AFTER the fifty blind dates, not beforehand.
Wonder how much he’s tapped post 50 blind dates . #mindboggles
Suicide prevention tho… #fairplay
That’s pretty great. Well done.
I’d be suicidal knowing that after that cycle I can look forward to the early onset of erectile dysfunction…
Fair fuppin play!
Stay out of the real Dublin, your sh!te will just get stolen. Then you’ll end up on Broadsheet with an appeal to help find it all. Followed up with a slew of donations to buy new kit to get the hell out of the country again.
Last day of epic cycle ends in Dublin. He pops into a shop for a Mars bar, comes out. Bike gone.
Well done Breifne. Great achievement and a lifetime of great memories (and maybe some mammaries).
Good Man yourself!
Well feckin done, amazing achievement. i’m off to buy me round the world bike.
Good on ya Breifne!
Inspiring stuff! Fair play indeed.
Fifty!!????? Ah here.
Great cause in fairness…
Ah here! That’s Mad Ted.
Sure for all the efforts you are making to cheer us all up, the least I can do is take 10 secs to give you an old vote and share to help you win yer grant fella!
May the road rise up(gradually, not too steep now!) to meet you and the wind be always at your back.
https://www.facebook.com/Version1Ireland?sk=app_403834839671843&brandloc=DISABLE&app_data=chk-54225f1bbbece%2Cview-vote%2Cfor-4666322
Good on ya, cobber!
Thanks for the post Broadsheet and all the kind words from everyone. The link is broken to the blog but you can catch it on http://www.facebook.com/pedaltheplanettv
Hi Breifne,
I’ve fixed the link now.
Apologies.
Thanks,
Lars
Not a problem Lars, the voting is the most important thing at the moment. Cheers.
‘Raising Awareness’ – great! Another jaunt by someone finding themselves loosely affiliating themselves with some cause or other as they have a nice holiday somewhere in the world on someone else’s dime. Sadly I’ve been closely affected by suicide on a number of occasions. This sort of crap really raises my ire. Cycling for suicide does nothing but have a nice rhyming tag line. Get real and give money to services that matter and lobby the government for more mental health medical professionals.
Sorry to say this is a load of tosh. There are great people doing great things in the real world that never get a mention. Try your hand at answering the phone in the Samaritans or other more meaningful help. And what the hell does 50 blind dates have to do with suicide?
Jason, read the guys personal story before disregarding his efforts. He might not save anyone’s else’s life, but may have just saved his own. And maybe give some hope to a person in a similar situation to his.