Month: December 2014

• Your bike is in full working order.  If you have any doubts or questions, you should get it looked over by a bike shop ahead of the training spins.  Someone may be able to help you on the day if you get there very early, but there is no guarantee.
• You have a spare inner tube (ideally 2!) to fit your tyres – if you get a puncture, there is no guarantee that someone else will have a tube to fit your bike.  Similarly, you should have a hand pump.
• You have a well-fitting bicycle helmet – no helmet, no cycle!!
• Appropriate clothes for the conditions, including but not limited to:
  • Light rain jacket – Ireland has a “variable” climate and weather, so even if it’s dry setting out, it may not stay that way!
  •  Padded shorts/tights – especially if you want to sit down again… ever.  While you may not feel the benefit of them on the early training cycles, these are invaluable as distances increase.
  • Gloves & warm footwear – the cycle is in March, so we do a lot of training in the cold, and if your hands don’t work in the cold, neither might your brakes!
• You have proof of your Cycling Ireland insurance.
• For each training cycle, bring an isotonic drink, some food (such as bananas, chocolate, flapjacks etc) and some shopping money (€3)

On December 16th, Galway Cycle 2015 in aid of Irish Guide Dogs For The Blind was launched on the campus of Maynooth University.  As part of this, the charity visited the campus (and brought puppies!!), and were joined by this year’s Galway Cycle Committee, and the President of Maynooth University, Professor Philip Nolan.  This followed a visit by the Cycle Committee to the Irish Guide Dogs facility on Saturday December 13th, and the charity took this opportunity to meet with the broader group of students who will be cycling from Maynooth to Galway and back to raise funds and awareness for them in March.

With the cycle officially launched, there’s no excuses now not to be registering and getting with the training programme!

Maynooth University Press Release

On Saturday December 13th, the committee of the Galway Cycle travelled to Cork to visit the Irish Guide Dogs facility, where they raise and train future guide dogs.  The Committee would like to thank Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind for the chance to visit, and were delighted to see where the money raised this year will go, as well as volunteering at the centre to really appreciate the work done by this great organisation.  Please see the gallery below for pictures from the visit.

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Barry Maher and son Aaron and assistance dog Mundy at Lullymore Heritage Centre, Bog of Allen, Co. Kildare

When Aaron Maher turned 3, he didn’t celebrate it like other children his age. Sorcha, Aaron’s mother, had to stay in a separate room with Aaron while his birthday celebrations were going on as groups of people and noise upset him. Days later Aaron’s parents were told he had autism.

“We were really upset by the diagnosis and worried that he would never have friends, never talk. We were concerned about the quality of life he would have in the future”, Sorcha says. In hindsight the signs were always there but no one was piecing together the puzzle. Aaron did not speak or play like other children, but always wanted to be hugged by his parents.

When the Mahers got the diagnosis, they worked quickly to ensure Aaron got a place in a nearby school with a specialist autism unit. They also spent a year in the US where Aaron received further expert therapy. Sorcha and Barry are very grateful for the excellent care Aaron received over the years. “He has gone from never speaking to never stopping talking!”

However, no amount of treatment was helping Aaron with his social anxiety. He couldn’t bear to be in noisy public places. He’s unable to filter out the background noise and it becomes overwhelming, triggering a meltdown. Putting him in a buggy was the only way to ensure his safety but, in practice, the Mahers would avoid going out as much as possible.

To help with this, the Mahers applied for an assistance dog for Aaron. In 2013, they welcomed Mundy in to their home and he has transformed their lives. “Before we got Mundy our lives were full of stress. We avoided going out as much as possible”, Sorcha says. “Mundy calms Aaron and in doing so he restores the peace in our daily lives. Now we can go anywhere in public and when Aaron gets overwhelmed, Mundy calms his anxiety.”

Mundy is part of the family now and he benefits the whole household. “Before Mundy we had to plan everything. With Mundy we have greater freedom and flexibility. We don’t think twice about going on a family outing now.”

Aaron Maher and his assistance dog, Mundy