*Pictured L-R are Pat O’Brien, Niall Maloney, Loretto Duggan and Joe Noonan. Photograph: Arthur Ellis.

In an attempt to raise €20,000 for their charity programme, Shannon Group staff will be cycling 787km across three days in September.

Should they complete the feat, it will mean over the past five years, Shannon Group staff will have brought in €300,000 for charities. Niall Maloney, Loretto Duggan, Pat O’Brien and Joe Noonan all of whom work in Shannon Airport will take on the mammoth cycle in September with the support of corporate sponsors Flynn and Daifuku Airport Technologies.

Funds earned will be going towards Irish Cancer Society and Limerick Suicide Watch, the charity partners of Shannon Group. The cyclists will cover almost 200km per day in a relay challenge across four days in a loop that starts at Shannon Airport and take in Ireland West Airport Knock, Dublin Airport and Cork Airport.

Beginning on Monday, September 9th at Shannon Airport the group will set off at 8.30am for Strokestown, Co Roscommon and from there to Knock. Day two, Tuesday September 10th, will see the cyclists head off for Dublin. Day three then sees the group head south to Cork where they will stop in Fermoy overnight before resuming again early on the final day, September 12th and heading to Cork Airport before they finish the arduous 787km cycle by heading all the way back to Shannon.

“This is a huge undertaking for even elite athletes and it is a great example of the commitment and generosity of our staff towards our designated charity programme. Our staff have taken on big tasks before and put in huge effort for charities but this is at a different level. Everyone here is full of admiration for the four individuals involved and we are appealing for people to support them in this epic fundraiser for two very worthy charities, Irish Cancer Society and Limerick Suicide Watch,” Acting CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine said.

Donations from supporters and the public can be made through their Go Fund Me page https://www.gofundme.com/shannon-airport-charity-cycle