Film starring Laois Siberian adventurer set for RTÉ

The iced over Lake Baikal in Siberia, the largest lake in the world, traversed in February 2020 by a motorbike team led by Laois man Gary O'Keeffe.

placeholder image — The iced over Lake Baikal in Siberia, the largest lake in the world, traversed in February 2020 by a motorbike team led by Laois man Gary O'Keeffe.

A documentary about a Siberian adventure featuring Gary O'Keeffe from Abbeyleix is set to be shown on RTÉ this month.

The Laois led a group of international adventure motorcyclists on an epic frozen journey in Siberia in 2020.

The Laois man and his friend Declan McEvoy from Clare, went with other international adventure motorcyclists unsupported over the biggest frozen lake in the world, Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia in the vicious depths of winter. Young Laois film maker, Naoise Kettle, 18, from Wolfhill also travelled to help make the film.

Apart from making a film, they aimed to set two new World Records, first for the longest distance to travel over ice by motorbike and also the longest distance over ice by a four-wheel drive.

Lake Baikal is a mile deep, so big that it holds 30% of the world's fresh water. Just getting to itis a challenge, 4,500 km north of Moscow. Temperatures can drop to -20 by day, -40 at night.

The team included riders from India, South America, UK, Russia and Lithuania. The trip was made on seven Royal Enfield Himalayan Motorcycles and a Russian-made truck.

The executive producer of the film was award-winning adventure filmmaker Claudio Von Planta, creator of Long Way Round and Race to Dakar.

More below teaser for the film.

After returning with new world records achieved, attention turned to the film "One Mile Down: Siberian Scramble" which was produced by Darragh Kettle and was directed by Alexander Hick. The cast in full is Gary O’Keeffe, Declan McEvoy, Kevin Emans, Mark Kemp, Karolis Mieliauskas, Fritz Kreis, Mariano Caroni.

It premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2022 and also featured at the Dingle Film Festival. William Fitzgerald, Artistic Director, Galway Film Fleadh, described it as "a rip-roaring action-adventure doc”.

The film is described as not only about an extreme motorbike expedition, but how a common passion for life and adventure can bring together a team of people from all corners of the world.

A film featuring Abbeyleix man Gary O'Keefe will screen on Thursday, August 31 at 10.10 pm RTE 1.