Dads pull together for an incredible rowing challenge
An ultra runner from Cork was one of a crew of five Irish fathers to place third at the weekend in the gruelling transatlantic rowing race, The World’s Toughest Row.
Having set off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on 11 December, team Power of One crossed the finish line in the Caribbean island of Antigua on Sunday night having spent 39 days at sea.
Corkman Conor McCarthy and crewmates Roger McMorrow, John O'Driscoll, Daragh Kelly and Enda McNicholas undertook the 5,000km challenge in honour of John’s daughter Saoirse O’Driscoll who died last year of coronary heart disease aged just 13.
Though the crew members all have a background in sport, none of them were experienced rowers when they took on the challenge.
John O’Driscoll, from Lucan Co. Dublin, led the crew despite having only lost his daughter Saoirse in April. Though he was ill for the first 10 days and weather conditions were dreadful, John and the lads persevered and the team’s pace quickened in the later stages allowing them to narrowly overtake British crew Team Graft to take third place out of 38 competing teams overall.
Giving an update from the boat, Cork crew member Conor McCarthy said morale was incredibly high amongst the five men after a rocky start.
He said: “Thankfully everyone’s coming out the other side of seasickness. We had a fairly horrible initial week and that was tough going for the individuals involved.
“We have sore asses, we have baby rash in places that one shouldn’t have baby rash when you’re in your 50s, and the salt is literally everywhere. You cannot get away from it,” added Conor.
The crew’s mission was to raise as much funds as possible to help children born with congenital heart disease in Ireland. With an initial target of €250k, the team has almost doubled that figure to more than €434k as of yesterday, Wednesday, according to its official idonate page, idonate.ie/fundraiser/teampowerof1.
In a deeply touching video telling Saoirse’s story, dad John describes her as “an amazing little girl” who taught him more than he would ever have been able to teach him.
“She taught me so much more about being a good parent, about being an attentive dad, about being present in her life,” he said. “Even the way she dealt with her condition over the years, she was so mature, she was fearless.
“She was the fun in the house, she was a real funny girl in the house, she was always up for a bit of joking and laughing and messing.
“It's only since we lost her this year unfortunately, you realize how much of our lives was focused on her. Today even, just over six months on it still feels like the day she passed,” said John.
To make a donation to help children born with congenital heart disease in Ireland, visit idonate.ie/fundraiser/teampowerof1.