A team of Irish rowers have smashed the world record for the fastest team of five to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
The five-strong team completed the 4,800km race from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Carribean in 33 days 12 hours and 39 minutes.
The five rowers, all from Wicklow, are proudly sponsored by Lough Eske Castle in Donegal and sister hotel Carlisle Bay in Antigua.
The ‘Row Hard or Go Home’ group is made up of two teams of nine friends who set out to raise funds for charity (both the RNLI & the Laura Lynn Foundation), as part of the Tallisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. So far they have raised an incredible €49,000, smashing their €30,000 goal.
The first team over the line yesterday was the ‘Brugha’ group comprised of Derek McMullen, Tom Nolan, Shane Culleton, Gearoid O’Briain and Diarmuid O’Briain. The boat is proudly named Brugha as Gearóid and Diarmuid are great-grandsons of Cathal Brugha who served as Minister for Defence from 1919 to 1922.
The rowers are largely novices who share a keen sense of adventure. Builder and Entrepreneur Diarmuid rowed alongside his brother Gearoid, a Guinness World Record holder and Irish Air Corps pilot. They were joined by their 3 Adventurer friends: Engineer and Champion Piper, Shane; Engineer and Mine Clearance Diver, Derek; and Civil Engineer and builder, Tom.
After the excitement of the Brugha’s fantastic finish, the focus now turns to the 4-man team aboard Crean. The boat is named after Thomas Crean who is undoubtedly Ireland’s most famous seafaring adventurer. Onboard is Eugene and Frankie, twins from Louth, who are both Irish Air Corps pilots (and possibly the first set of Irish twins to have rowed an ocean!). Joining them is Dublin man and Ironman champion Dan, as well as Roscommon native, Marathon Runner, and Granddad 5 times over Jim. They are hoping to cross the finish line in the early hours of Tuesday.
To support the ‘Row Hard or Go Home’ teams, visit their GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/6792b01f
