Rossie to Aussie

 Agency Nurse Cycling 23,000km from Roscommon to Australia!

Here at the Clarity Locums nursing desk we are very excited to announce that we will be supporting Fergal Guihan, a Roscommon-native agency nurse, as he undertakes an epic 23,000km cycle from Roscommon to Australia in aid of charity. Fergal will set off on his self-funded journey on March 10th from his home in Arigna and will reach Australia in February 2025. Over these monumental eleven months he plans to visit 25 countries in three continents and selflessly donate all proceeds to the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and suicide charity North West STOP.

The Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation exists to fund palliative care services to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Co Mayo and County Roscommon. Over the past 30 years the palliative care teams have assisted in the care of over 20,000 patients and their families.The North West STOP was originally founded in 2004 by families who were bereaved by suicide and is a voluntary community-based organisation that works to prevent suicide by informing, educating and promoting positive mental health. It also provides counselling free of charge to all ages.

Fergal, an emergency department nurse himself, knows the importance of supporting life-changing charities such as these and is grateful for any donation people can offer over the next eleven months. Clarity Locums will be following his journey and sharing his donation page to our nurses and other healthcare professionals in order to highlight awareness for his charities of choice. If you wish to donate today please find his donation link here.

When we had a chat with Fergal recently to find out more about his challenge, he shared with us that he previously undertook an inspiring solo journey in Morocco and then flew to Nouakchott the capital of Mauritania where he met a group of people. They travelled into the Sahara desert visiting Oasis's ancient cities and finally hopping on the back of an Iron Ore train where they stayed on top for 17 hours, sleeping underneath the stars. This opened his eyes and inspired him to visit more countries that were somewhat off the beaten track and not your typical ‘touristy’ destinations. This momentum gave him a sense of curiosity to discover what else there was to see, taste and experience of the world. Cycling is something he really enjoys, as well exploring new destinations and so that dynamic-duo combination gave birth to the idea of the ‘Rossie to Aussie’ cycle. As many of his friends had already left the country for fresh new experiences in Australia, Fergal thought ‘Why not cycle there as it’s a great opportunity to see the world and then spend a year in Australia!’.

The idea might seem extraordinary to many, but Fergal is fully aware of how challenging this might be and has really put in the ground work into planning every step of his journey over the past year. He has worked hard to save every penny to self-fund his trip as well as talk to others who have undertaken similar journeys in the past to help meticulously plan his route. Over the course of the eleven months, he plans on leading a very minimalistic lifestyle by bringing his tent and hot stove with him. He also has a wealth of support from his local community and beyond in other countries. If there’s one thing that can be said about the Irish-we are good at taking care of each other! (What are the odds that there will be a friendly Irish pub in every location to help with any flat tyres?) Martina Quinn, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, said: “We’re very grateful to be one of Fergal’s chosen charities and look forward to watching him on his journey over the next 11 months and beyond.’

Clarity Locums thoroughly enjoy supporting worthy causes of nurses such as Fergal’s. It’s part of our extended company culture to recognise the importance of healthcare workers having a work-life balance and recognising their interests beyond their patient-facing roles. At the nursing agency desk we believe in working to live rather than living to work. Last year we had the pleasure of creating a ‘Locuming Let’s me..Live’ Campaign: a campaign designed to celebrate the exciting lives of locums. 

Stay tuned to our Clarity Locums blog and social media updates as we will be following his thrilling journey over the next eleven months. We truly wish him all the best as he sets off in the next few weeks and can’t wait to hear all about it! We are rooting for you, Fergal!!

You can check out Fergal’s heartwarming promotional video for the ‘Rossie to Aussie’ Cycle on his Instagram page.