The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Taking the battle against cancer to the sea at dawn
SEÁN Moran and Gearóid Moran aren’t related but, as Gearóid told The Kerryman, the battle against cancer unites everyone.
Both members of Inbhear Scéine Sub Aqua club, the pair spearheaded a dawn group-dive off Skellig Michael in 2016, but this year’s repeat raised funds for the Kerry Hospice Foundation, and the size of the cohort that departed Portmagee at 3am was around four times as large.
“There was almost 40 of us if you count the boats-people with the 31 divers,’ Gearóid said. “My father-in-law availed of the Kerry Hospice Foundation’s services, and he described them as ‘Angels sent from God.’ It’s a terrific cause and one that Seán, the boats-people, the divers and I were happy to get up early for.”
“We were in the water for 4am, and the idea was to surface at dawn. Being anywhere near Skellig Michael is always an enchanting experience, but being there for sunrise is another story altogether. Everyone who took part was marvelling at the scenery, and I’ve no doubt they’ll all be back to take on the challenge again next year.
“Six boats brought us out, free of charge, but once stories of how well the morning went spread around the place, I think it’s likely we’ll need more boats in 12 months’ time.”
Having sacrificed their Saturday lie-in for a good cause, the group arrived back in Portmagee at 6am, and were treated to the hardest-earned of breakfasts at the Moorings and the Bridge Bar.
“The people at the Bridge Bar weren’t the only ones who helped us out on the morning,” Gearóid said.
“We got the use of the boats free of charge, and everyone who took part donated, so we must give a special thanks to them. We’re also grateful to the people from outside of our team who donated. We won’t know how much was raised for a while as we’re still getting donations in, but it was a successful venture, and one we’ll repeat.”