Donegal family completes row around the country
The family is preparing to undertake the World’s Toughest Row in December
A family from Donegal has completed the challenge of rowing 700 miles around Ireland.
Sharon and her sons Evan and Glenn O’Donnell departed Arranmore on Wednesday, August 26, on their anti-clockwise trip around Ireland.
They finished the row on Monday, September 13, taking them a total of 18 days to complete the row.
The trio shared their successful journey on a social media video, saying “we learned so much about ourselves, our boat, and ocean rowing.
“We’ll go into much more detail when we get back home, but I think we deserve a well need break. We can only describe as our version of summiting Mount Everest.”
The trio, going under the name Trasna na dTonnta, are preparing to undertake the World’s Toughest Row in December. The challenge consists of a 3,000-mile or 4,800km journey across the Atlantic Ocean from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean.
As fewer than 2,000 people have completed The World’s Toughest Row worldwide, they have been preparing since the beginning of the year. During the challenge, they will row continuously for around 40-60 days across the Atlantic Ocean, facing isolation.
Growing up on Arranmore Island, the sea has always been central to their lives. Evan grew up fishing, and Glenn has always enjoyed being active, so when the opportunity arose, the two were more than happy to join. Both Sharon and Evan volunteer as crew with the RNLI All-weather lifeboat.
A fundraiser has been established to cover the costs associated with getting to La Gomera and the equipment and supplies needed. A separate fundraiser was established to benefit Arranmore Lifeboat Station, where all charitable donations will go.
Donations can be made to the GoFundMe page; Help us get to the start line of the Worlds Toughest Row.