Arigna man set to take on ‘Rossie to Aussie’ 23,000 km charity challenge

A young Arigna man will cycle 23,000 kilometres from Roscommon to Australia in an 11-month challenge to raise funds for Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.

Fergal Guihen (25), a general nurse at Sligo University Hospital, will leave Roscommon in early March and will reach Australia in February of 2025.

Fergal, who worked in St James’ Hospital, Trinity College and now in Sligo University Hospital’s emergency department, will average 100 kilometres a day on his trip taking in 25 countries and three continents. He’s hoping to finish his ‘Rossie to Aussie’ charity challenge at the iconic Sydney Opera House.

In his spare time, Fergal is a part-time farmer, plays GAA for St. Ronan’s and enjoys running. “I decided to do this trip as a lot of my friends and colleagues are either gone or are heading off to Australia for two years. Instead of spending two years in Australia I thought why not cycle there as it’s a great opportunity to see the world and then spend a year in Australia,” he explained. 

“This challenge is no doubt going to be the hardest thing I have ever done. The longest cycling trip I’ve done was about two weeks’ long so this is certainly going to be very different but I’m very much looking forward to it. I’ll be doing a lot of trip by myself but friends will join me across Europe.” 

Fergal said he will be funding the trip himself and will live a very minimalistic life. “I’ll be bringing my tent and hot stove with me. I had a thought that I may as well incorporate a fundraising element into it, so I’ve chosen a charity local to me, the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, as I want to give back to my local community. The Foundation provides vital palliative care services to the communities of Mayo and Roscommon and my great-granny benefitted from those services in Roscommon.” 

CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Martina Jennings wished Fergal all the very best on his Rossie to Aussie adventure. “We are very grateful to be one of his chosen charities and we look forward to watching him on his journey over the next 11 months and beyond. Fundraising efforts in both the communities of Mayo and Roscommon have just been fantastic.

“All funds raised make a huge difference to our patients, who have life limiting illnesses, ensuring we provide the best facilities possible to both them and their families. We have our two Hospices up and running but we do need continued support to keep them going,” she said.

You can donate to Fergal’s challenge here - https://www.idonate.ie/Rossie-to-Aussie