TOMMY Sheehy has completed an incredible series of cycling challenges to support Enable Ireland Kerry Services.

Tommy, who has to date raised over €100,000 for Enable Ireland, kicked off his first challenge in July when he did an ‘Everesting’ Challenge.

Tommy repeatedly climbed the Short Mountain outside Tralee on his bike, eventually ascending the hill enough times to reach the 8,848 metres needed to equal the height of Mount Everest, all in the one day!

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Last month, Tommy went to Spain to take part in the Catalonia Cycling Challenge, tackling some of the highest peaks in the area and his final challenge was to climb 1,000,000 metres by the end of the year, which just completed this week.

“I didn’t think I’d do it with almost three months to spare so I’m delighted,” said Tommy who had been training hard for the challenges all year. He now hopes people will support Enable Ireland which provides disability services to over 9,000 children and adults across Ireland.

Tommy is a fundraiser extraordinaire for Enable Ireland and is well-known throughout Kerry and further afield for his 8-hour spinning sessions he undertakes for the charity.

You can still support Tommy in his fundraising efforts by visiting his idonate page https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11407563_tommy-sheehy-s-2021-three-cycling-challenges.html

HE has raised an incredible €101,665 for Enable Ireland Kerry Services since 2011 and now Tommy Sheehy has set himself a daunting new challenge for 2021.

The past year’s figure of €12,497 raised from a series of spinning completed early in 2020 and a massive cycling challenge where Tommy climbed 200,000 meters also last year took Tommy over the €100,000 mark.

“The last twelve months have been very challenging for us with many of our fundraising events either cancelled or rescheduled,” said Sean Scally of Enable Ireland Kerry.

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“It’s been a massive boost to us that Tommy has continued to raise so much for us and we are extremely grateful to him. I’d like to thank all the retailers throughout the county who allow Tommy to undertake the spinning at their stores and to all the people who donate to him I would like to thank them for their support,” he said.

Tommy began his fundraising efforts for Enable Ireland in 2011 when he cycled from Paris to Geneva. Since then Tommy has continued to support Enable Ireland in Kerry.

Tommy says; “Little did I think in 2011 that I’d be still fundraising 10 years later. I’m really proud at the amount I have raised and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me. I can see at first had the work Enable Ireland do in the community and I’m delighted to support them any way I can.”

In 2021 Tommy has set himself his most difficult cycling challenge yet. That is, climbing 8848 meters in one day – the equivalent height of Mt Everest.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a number of years now and this year I’m going to attempt it,” he said.

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A BALLYROE man has raised €10,870 for Enable Ireland after completing a cycling tour of Provence in the South of France.

Tommy Sheehy, who is originally from Castleisland, climbed Mount Ventoux in aid of Enable Ireland. The challenge covered Lyon to Nice over the rugged French countryside.

On this tour, Tommy conquered the just under 2,000 metre high Mont Ventoux which is nicknamed ‘The Beast of Provence’ in the world cycling community. He climbed the peak not once, but twice.

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The money raised by Tommy will be used to support Enable Ireland services in Kerry. To date Tommy has raised over €53,000 for the organisation through seven mammoth tours in total.

Money also raised through ‘spinnings’ – events where Tommy cycles continuously on an exercise bike in public for up to eight hours.

The cheque handover was extra poignant because of the loss of Tommy’s mother Kitty last week. Kitty was a huge supporter of Enable Ireland down the years and a driving force for Tommy in his endeavours to cycle mountain after mountain for charity.

Sean Scally of Enable Ireland in Kerry expressed his sympathy at the passing of Kitty Sheehy. “We want to thank the whole family for all the work she did over the years, we really do appreciate it,” said Sean.

“Tommy has been fantastic, the amount of fundraising he does is incredible. He’s out nine months of the year, added to all the planning and organising that goes along with it,” said Sean.