Arctic trekkers give cheque to veterans support group

Paul Clarke, ONE; Ronan Mullen, of Adventure.ie, who organised the trek; Paddy Flavin, ONE; Cathal O’Neill; Eamonn Gibney; Niall Duffy; David Hogan; and Nigel Campbell.

A cheque for €18,000 was presented during the week in Newbridge to the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE) by members of a fundraising Arctic expedition held in April, writes Brian Byrne. The retired Defence Forces participants were all from the Army Ranger Wing Association (ARWA) and included David Hogan, proprietor of An Tearmann Cafe in Kilcullen.

The funds will support ONE’s project for former Defence Forces members, including a five-bedroom house and Veteran Support Centre on Eyre Street, Newbridge, to be named Brú Dermot Earley after the late Chief of Staff.

The expedition took place from 15 to 21 April near Longyearbyen, Norway. With an average age of 60, the team covered 12 to 15 km a day in harsh Arctic conditions, camping in two-person tents and taking polar bear watch shifts at night.

The €3.5m nationwide project, launched a year ago, also includes houses in Cork and Limerick. Brú Dermot Earley is expected to open in the last quarter of next year. The next phase of the project will include houses in Galway and Dundalk. 

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