An Armagh man who cycled from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork in memory of a friend who passed away last year has raised £4,700 for a range of charities.
Conor Hamilton, a lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, set out in memory of his dear friend Keith Kelly who died suddenly last April.
With the goal of raising money for Depaul, Cycle Against Suicide and Shelter NI, he has managed to pull together £4,700 to-date.
The cheques were handed over outside Queen’s University, where Conor was accompanied by Louise Kelly and Patricia Weir, sisters of Keith Kelly.
On May 25, Conor Hamilton initially set off to cycle the length of Ireland from Malin Head in Donegal to Mizen Head in Cork to raise funds for the three charities.
On completing his cycle, which covered almost 380 miles and took four days, Conor said: “A bittersweet moment – glad to be finished but then remembering why I was doing it was very grounding. I had Keith with me during many difficult sections of road.”
Louise Kelly, Keith’s sister, said: “The family and Conor would once again like to thank all those who contributed so generously to raise this amazing amount and keep Keith’s memory alive.
“This is the second time since Keith’s untimely death that the family and friends have raised money in Keith’s name, with his nephew Jamie Kelly and Jamie’s girlfriend Emma White running a half marathon which also raised over £4,000 last year.
“The family has said it has been overwhelmed by the amounts raised and thanked people for the lovely heartfelt comments posted about Keith.”
Read more: Armagh nurse cycles length of Ireland to remember ‘great friend’ Keith
