Brothers thank community, clubs and local legends after trans-Atlantic row
ARKLOW brothers Andrew and Eamon Breen, conquerors of the World’s Toughest Row, have said they owe everything to their community, local rowing clubs and the inspirational feat of two Arklow legends.
Since completing their 42day, 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean to raise funds for FirstLight and Make a Wish Ireland, Eamon and Andrew have been welcomed home at a series of celebrations culminating in a community event at Arklow Sailing Club last weekend.
Arriving at the pontoon on Arklow’s North Quay aboard the RNLI lifeboat, the brave brothers marked their official homecoming with the lighting of two orange flares, much to the delight of the cheering crowd.
Embracing their families, friends and supporters, Andrew and Eamon spent the afternoon listening to accounts from followers of their epic adventure before retiring to Arklow Sailing Club for an evening with members of Arklow Rowing Club.
Andrew said the support throughout their journey was outstanding, before explaining how he dreamed of completing the trans-Atlantic row after meeting two of Arklow’s sporting legends.
“The founders of Arklow Rowing Club, Eamonn and Peter Kavanagh, rowed the initial cross-Atlantic race in 1997, and that’s where the whole seed of the idea came from,” Andrew said. “I started rowing with Arklow Rowing Club in 1999 (when we were training to do a race from Arklow to Aberystwyth), which is where my rowing and the inspiration to follow in Eamonn and Peter’s footsteps began.
“I read Peter’s book, where he blogged about the whole experience every day. It is unedited, so it is literally just his notes, and it’s a great read.
“There’s usually something amazing that someone has done that you want to copy, and in our case, it was people very close to home, so it makes it that extra bit special.
“The reception we received from the Arklow community and the RNLI on Saturday was fantastic, and we really didn’t expect that big of a turnout” he added.
“I’d be more the type that hides away from all this carry-on, and when I heard they were planning this celebration, I was more afraid that we’d come down on the lifeboat and be the only two there!”
Recalling a heart-warming moment, Andrew said he was having dinner at The Arklow Bay Hotel on Saturday when a fan noticed his daughter wearing the ‘Atlantic Bro-ing’ t-shirt.
“I was sitting in the corner, and my daughter was wearing one of the blue tops we all have,” Andrew said. “She was on her way to the toilet, and this elderly gentleman saw the t-shirt and asked her: ‘Wasn’t there a guy from Arklow who did that race?’
“She said, ‘Yeah, that’s my dad’, and he was amazed, saying he couldn’t believe he was in the same room as someone who had done it.
“When I was walking out, he and the wife – who were just down visiting from Dublin – came up to me and said they had been following us online all the way.”
While Andrew’s ties to Arklow Rowing Club stretch back to his teens, when brother Eamon signed up for the row to Antigua, he wanted some experience under his belt, and joined Wicklow Rowing Club, whose novice group he rowed with for the last two years in preparation.
With the brothers’ fundraiser approaching the €30,000 mark, Eamon said that theywere amazed by how their donation page had blown up during their row.
Thanking Arklow and Wicklow rowing clubs, Arklow Sailing Club for their hospitality and housing their boat ‘Rory’ (named after their late brother), and donators from near and far, Eamon said that their Arklow homecoming was the perfect way to thank their supporters for all their encouragement, well-wishes and generosity.
“There were so many people, I didn’t know half the people that were hugging me,” Eamon joked. “We had lots of friends and family there that travelled from near and far. Dad’s three sisters and his sister-in-law turned up from Limerick, and we had no idea, and neither did Dad!
“It was a nice way to wrap up the journey and thank Arklow Sailing Club for their help, and there were a few people from Arklow Rowing Club there, so it was great being able to thank both clubs for their support,” he added.
“Between the two of them and Wicklow Rowing Club, they all helped us immensely with training and the storage of the boat.
“It was also amazing seeing the support from the broader Wicklow community in the lead up to and during the race – it just grew and grew, and we got the feel that there was a good buzz around the town and the county on the back of it, which gave us a massive lift.
“We got a good kick out of hearing that Mam and Dad and our family couldn’t walk up and down the street without people asking how it was going!
“Honestly, we can’t thank the people of Arklow, Wicklow and beyond for their support. It kept us going and will go a long way to helping two very worthy causes.”
To support the Breen brothers’ fundraising for Make-AWish Ireland and First Light, visit idonate.ie/fundraiser/AtlanticChallenge2023.