Over 100 cyclists took to their bikes at the weekend to cover the country from east to west and back again – all in aid of Little Blue Heroes.

They were taking part in the 2024 Galway Cycle, hosted and run by past and present students of Maynooth University which has raised almost €2 million over the past 36 years.

This year’s event was in aid of the Little Blue Heroes Foundation, a charity voluntarily led by Garda members, retired Garda members and civic minded people from communities which is funded entirely by donations and fundraising.

And with the final tallies still to be confirmed, there was upwards of €58,000 raised by the time the cycle itself was completed.

These hardy cyclists were joined by the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris – who met up with the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee when he got to Eyre Square, because she was in Galway for the Fine Gael Ard Fheis over the weekend!

The cyclists were also greeted by a host of Little Blue Heroes, some of the honorary Gardaí who have shown their own tremendous courage in battling serious illness or disability.

Not content with traversing the country, the cyclists spent part of their Saturday at Eyre Square Shopping Centre doing a static cycle before they headed off for the return cycle to Maynooth on Sunday, covering 400km in total.

The Little Blue Heroes Foundation supports the families of these children with serious illnesses in Ireland while empowering the lives of children through positive community engagement.

Their mission is to provide support to families of children who have serious illnesses in Ireland while granting the wish of the children to become Honorary Gardaí to empower the child and foster positive engagement with An Garda Síochána.

“These funds will allow us to continue supporting Little Blue Heroes and their families. To date we have assisted 1,017 Little Blue Hero families nationwide,” said a spokesperson for the charity.

If you wish to show your support, please donate at https://www.idonate.ie/event/galwaycycle2024.Cross-country pedallers raise money for Little Blue Heroes on Galway Cycle

Pictured: Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee and Mayor of Galway, Cllr Eddie Hoare pictured with participants, organisers and local members at Eyre Square last Friday after for the arrival reception for The Maynooth Students for Charity Galway Cycle. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy