Murdered Offaly school teacher to be remembered at special two-day event

‘Wheels & Jigs from here to Co. Clare’, an annual sponsored cycle from Dromore Co. Tyrone to the Willie Clancy Festival, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, will honour murdered Offaly school teacher and talented musician Ashling Murphy this year.

The cycle is a two-day event which was set up in 2015 by musicians who are members of The Knockmore Ceilí Band, The Tumbling Paddies and The Whistlin' Donkeys.

Since 2015 they have raised over £20,000 for organisations such as Alzheimer’s, NI Children Hospice, Galway Hospice, Pieta House and Action Mental Health, Fermanagh Women’s Aid, Chest Heart & Stroke and Marie Curie.

This year’s cycle is a very poignant and special occasion as the cycle takes place in memory and honour of the late Ashling Murphy who was a friend of many of the cycle organisers.

All proceeds raised as part of this year’s cycle will go to the ‘Ashling Murphy Memorial Trust Fund’ which will allow Ashling’s family further her legacy by assisting organisations and causes relevant to Ashling’s memory.

This year’s cycle sees 21 cyclists depart Dromore on Sunday 3rd July and make the 177km trip to Tullamore where they stop-over before another 17 local cyclists join them the following morning, Monday July 4th, for the 165km second leg of the cycle to Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare.

The 21 cyclists departing Dromore are, Michael Kerr, Tomas Quinn, Ciaran Owens, John McCann, Maggie Maguire, Lee Jones, Gareth Maguire, Martin Tracey, Caolan Hendron, Lorena Maguire, Chris Maguire, Maria Maguire, Ciaran Hanna, Karl Doherty, Arlene McCarroll, Molly Walls, Eile Smith, Kieran Leonard, Caoimhe Kearns.

The local cyclists comprising of representatives from Durrow National School, Tullamore TradFest, Offaly Comhaltas, Ballyboy Comhaltas, Kilcormac Killoughey GAA & Camogie Club along with some of Ashling’s family will undertake the 165km cycle in memory of Ashling, who was a regular visitor to the Willie Clancy Festival in Miltown Malbay.

The local cyclists are Gráinne Black, David Bracken, Ryan Casey, Grace Corrigan, Lucy Costello, Tommy Craven, Niamh Dunne, James Flanagan, Laura Geoghegan, Michael Guinan, James Hogan, Niall Kelly, Stephen Lavelle, Luke Maher, Lucia McPartlan, Amy Murphy, Donal Rigney.

If you would like to sponsor the event, you can do so via the JustGiving link below or by contacting any of the cyclists listed.

We would be delighted to see as many friends, families, and supporters as possible to send us off on at 6am Monday morning, 4th July from O'Connor Square, Tullamore or to welcome us into Miltown Malbay that evening at 5pm.

The organisers would like to thank the following businesses for their sponsorship and assistance with this year’s cycle: The Armada Hotel Spanish Point, Durrow N.S, Jones Construction, Offaly CCÉ, Palfinger Ireland, Tullamore Cycle Centre, Tullamore TradFest.

Codehttps://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wheelsandjigscycleinmemoryofaishlingmurphy2022?utm_term=7vzzj6Ee8