New York firefighters cycling from Dublin to Kinsale's 9/11 memorial garden
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A group of firefighters from New York City, some of whom responded to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, have landed in Ireland to take part in a charity cycle which will conclude in Cork on the 23rd anniversary of the attacks next week.
The 40 New York firefighters will join 50 Irish firefighters for the cycle, which starts from the US Ambassador's residence in Dublin's Phoenix Park on Monday.
From there, the participants will travel down the east coast through Wicklow, Wexford, and Waterford, ultimately arriving in Kinsale's Ringfinnan Garden of Remembrance at 5pm next Wednesday, September 11.
The Kinsale remembrance garden was established by local woman Kathleen Murphy who had been working as a nurse in Manhattan for four decades when the terrorist attack occurred in 2001.
On family land in Kinsale, she planted 343 trees in the garden, one for each New York firefighter who lost their life in the attack. The cycle will raise funds for two charities: the Friends of Firefighters of New York and Aoibheann’s Pink Tie.
Friends of Firefighters of New York is a not-for-profit organisation which provides free mental health counselling and wellness services to active and retired FDNY firefighters and their families.
Aoibheann’s Pink Tie provides practical and financial support for children suffering from cancer in Ireland and their families. The charity is named after Aoibheann Norman, who died from a rare form of cancer in 2010.
"We are delighted to have so many firefighters give their time to take part in this event which will raise much-needed funds for two really exceptional charities," said event organiser Steve McFadden
Mr McFadden said the origin of the cycle was a 1992 conversation between NYFD Battalion Chief of Third Battalion Hunts Point, Danny Sheridan, and NYFD firefighter Pete McLoughlin. The pair both had Irish ancestry and hoped one day to cycle around Ireland.
Pete McLoughlin died battling a fire in Queens on October 8, 1995. Danny Sheridan is taking part in this year's cycle.
"We have organised this event to honour those that were lost on 9/11 and those we have lost since on both sides of the Atlantic," Mr McFadden added. "We are asking people if they can to support the event and give what they can towards the fundraising efforts. We hope it will be a very successful event for all."