A TRALEE couple took on a 110km trek in Sweden last month and ended up raising over €1,000 for charity…then they went and got engaged!

Cathal Geary from Caherslee and Rachel Boyle from Alderwood Road decided to take in the Fjällräven Classic, a 110 km long hike in one of the world’s most beautiful settings, after reading an article about it in a magazine.

Continued below…

They decided to combine their experience by raising cash for the Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust, because Rachel has a cousin married to man recently diagnosed with Leukemia.

The couple, who both now live and work in Copenhagen, ended up exceeding their target of €1,000 on their my charity.com page, which they were delighted to have achieved after the five day trek.

“We reached our destination and our fundraising target! We are simply thrilled to have raised so much for such a worthy cause. I can’t believe all the donations that came in,” said Rachel.

The experience must have been more of a bonding experience than they thought, because a week later, Cathal popped the question!

“We had hired a boat and were on the canals of Copenhagen enjoying the sights. Although we had talked about getting married it was still a fantastic surprise [when Cathal proposed]! I shed a tear or two with the excitement of it all and of course said ‘yes’,” said Rachel.

The couple met three years ago when Cathal, who was living in California, came back home for Christmas and he met Rachel in Cloghane on New Year’s Eve, through mutual friends.

Cathal later moved home and when Rachel got a job in Copenhagen, they both packed their bags again and Cathal got a job as an engineer for a medical device company.

The rest is history…and a great future no doubt!