By Kathrin Kobus
On Saturday Ringsend Tidy Towns or R.I.T.E. members came together at the Men’s Shed Cambridge FC, picked up their gear and started along the footpath leading past the carpark at the stadium and towards The Square in Irishtown.
Originally the clean-up had been planned for the 23rd, but that date got blown over.
Much safer to postpone it for a week. Among the group was Marian Finn, also fondly called ‘the drain cleaner’.
Local TD Chris Andrews joined at the square together with his successor as Dublin south East councillor Daniel Ceitinn.
It will take a while for all Tidy Towns groups to return to their regular meets.
But even if there is no national competition being held this year our local groups throughout Dublin 4 from Ringsend to Donnybrook will surely continue their work, with all necessary precautions regarding distancing and handling their equipment followed to the letter.
Sunday got even hotter, temperature wise. The early starters of the Sandymount Dodder Wheeler charity cycle spin were the lucky ones when they headed off from just before 7am on a 50k cycle within the currently advised 5 km radius. So between 7 in the morning and around 1pm you could spot the blue lycra tops heading out from Sandymount Green in different directions. Overall, 54 Sandymount Dodder Wheelers took to the roads, in 13 quartets and one father and daughter duo for a shorter spin of 20 km, scheduled to start in 20 minutes apart time slots.
The event was organised by Thomas Davy, but the idea and with it the choice of charity came from member James Forbes. “I like cycling and I like dogs. I decided on Autism Assistance Dog Ireland, because I’ve seen what a difference it can make to a family. It costs €22,000 and it takes two years to train an assistant dog. Currently, there are 50 children on a waiting list, but only 30 dogs are in training.”
With the charity chosen, Sandymount Dodder Wheelers had found a good cause to be out and about on the Bank Holiday weekend. Plus the new cycling lanes that have sprung up over the past few weeks are worth exploring as well, especially along the quays.
By lunchtime all groups had safely returned to the Green’s BuJos to enjoy coffee and pastries.
To date the Sandymount Dodder Wheelers have raised €3,797 for Autism Assistance Dogs.
You can support the charity via the following link: https://guidedogs.ie
