Bressie set for 'tough' climb, kayak and cycle challenge
On Sunday next September 8, Niall (Bressie) Breslin and a number of others are to set out on a mammoth challenge to kayak the River Shannon, cycle 160km from Limerick to Killarney, and scale Ireland’s highest peak, Carrauntoohil, over the course of eight days.
The mission of ‘The Rising 2024’, organised by the mental health charity ‘A Lust for Life’, co-founded by Bressie, is to raise essential funds for its free early prevention school programmes, which are designed to teach children how to enhance and protect their mental health.
“It’s huge this year,” Bressie told the Westmeath Examiner this week.
“It’s really grown into something. It is pretty much mostly a group of Mullingar folks who are doing it. We raised nearly €200,000 last year.”
That sum helped the charity get into nearly 40% of Irish primary schools.
“We reckon if we can do that again, we can get every school in the country,” he said, adding that the charity doesn’t receive government funding, but organises these types of fundraising events. What’s important to them, he continued, is that they can offer the programmes in the schools for free.
“We’re not a big charity. We don’t have big offices. We don’t have big costs.”
Ahead of embarking on the coming challenge, he said he was excited by the prospect of the adventure – despite the fact that with last year’s experience under his belt, he knows exactly how difficult it is.
“It’s an awfully tough challenge,” he said. “Last year was one of the hardest things I’ve ever physically and mentally done.”
On Tuesday of next week, The Rising 2024 team will arrive in Athlone, where they will mark their journey with an evening of connection, community, and fundraising at the Glasson Lakehouse Hotel.
The invited guests will hear from Bressie, who as well as being a musician, is a mental health advocate, and co-founder of A Lust for Life; Dr Louize Carroll, psychologist, musician, and attachment expert; and Bernie Keogh, managing director of A Lust for Life.