Local nurse cycles across three continents to raise impressive amount for hospice care
Arigna nurse Fergal Guihen presented €105,000 to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation after cycling across three continents and 28 countries over two years.
Local nurse Fergal Guihen officially presented a cheque for €105,000 on April 18 to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, the culmination of an extraordinary fundraising journey that saw him cycle across three continents and 28 countries over nearly two years.
Fergal, who is from Arigna, Roscommon, departed Ireland in March 2024 and arrived at Sydney Opera House, Australia, in February 2026, completing a solo cycling expedition that took him through some of the world’s most remote and demanding terrain, including the Tibetan Plateau, the Taklamakan Desert, and war-affected regions of Afghanistan.
Along the way, the 27-year-old faced extreme weather, a violent attack in Iran, and the devastating personal loss of his first cousin to suicide during the journey.
The €105,000 raised for Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation will support the charity’s vital palliative care services across the Western Seaboard, as well as its landmark new project – the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, set to be the first children’s hospice built outside of Dublin and the first of its kind constructed since 2011.
“This journey was always about more than just the distance. I am incredibly proud to have raised over €210,000 for the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and NorthWest STOP suicide prevention services,” said Fergal.
“The Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation provided vital palliative care for my great grandmother in the final days of her life, and both charities are extremely close to my heart. I hope every euro raised makes a real difference to the families who need these services most,” he added.
Describing the support he received throughout the journey as “overwhelming,” he also shared that he met extraordinary people along the way and “relied on the kindness of strangers,” wherever he travelled.
“Donations and messages of encouragement came in from all over the world, and in every country I passed through, I experienced a generosity I will never forget. I know the funds raised will make a real difference, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me along the way,” concluded Fergal.
CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Martina Jennings, has said Fergal’s achievement has left them feeling “truly humbled” at the hospice.
“To cycle across three continents, endure everything he endured, and still keep these causes at the heart of it all, that speaks to an extraordinary character. We are so grateful to Fergal for choosing Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.
“This €105,000 will make a real and lasting difference, both to our existing hospice services in Mayo and Roscommon, and to the Sunflower Children’s Hospice. We have a big year ahead of us and generous support like Fergal’s brings us ever closer to making that vision a reality,” she added.