Foróige Releases

If 491 people abseiled 18 metres each, that would add up to 8840 metres - the height of Mount Everest!

It is no mean feat but Foróige, Ireland's largest youth organisation, is determined to make it happen and you can help. 'Abseil Everest in Ireland' will take place during two days on Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st. People of all fitness levels can take part so long as you're 12-years-old or over.

This would be a great day out for you and your friends or family. Perhaps you could arrange it for your work colleagues as part of team-building. The money raised will go directly to supporting youth services across Ireland. Foróige currently works with almost 57,000 young people and the demand for youth services is growing all the time.

'Abseil Everest in Ireland' will take place in the following locations on June 30th & July 1st:

1, Dalkey Quarry, Dublin: A 24 metre abseil with spectacular views of Dublin Bay and the Wicklow Mountains.

2, Mallow, Cork: A 20 metre abseil down natural limestone cliffs at the beautiful Ballyhass Lakes in Cecilstown.

Supporting the event, some of Ireland's top GAA stars said the following:

T.J. Reid Kilkenny half-forward and Ballyhale Shamrocks GAA member;

"I was a member of the Ballyhale Foróige Club myself when I was younger. It was a great place to go and meet new friends. You actually meet friends for life. That's where I met Colin who's also on the county team. I think that's what I learned from Foróige - how to be part of a team. We would go on trips and meet other Foróige clubs so I got to make new friends that way as well. It's great to come back now and support a Foróige event so I'm asking everyone to sign up to 'Abseil Everest in Ireland'. It really sounds like a fun way to raise money for a great cause. It's so important to provide good youth services and I'm assured that's how this money will be spent."

Colin Fennelly, Kilkenny corner-forward and Ballyhale Shamrocks GAA member;

"My memory of being a member of Ballyhale Foróige Club is that it was great craic. Foróige gets young people away from the television and gets them doing things. I met so many new people during my time in Ballyhale Foróige. It's great because you then meet them again in secondary school and of course you have the advantage already know them. All my cousins are now involved in Foróige and that's why I'm supporting this. The more people who take part in the abseil event the better because at the end of the day young people will benefit."

Noel Connors, Waterford corner-back and Passage GAA Club member;

"I made a good few friends during my time in Foróige and it has always been a major part of the community in Passage. It encouraged us to come together and get involved in all sorts of activities. We are a small community and the two big things in the area have always been the GAA and Foróige. I personally know the benefit of organisations like Foróige so I'm encouraging as many people as possible to take part in the abseil fundraiser. In fact, I'm going to travel down to Cork to do it myself. It's very important for young people to have somewhere to go and just sit, chat and relax - that's my memory of Foróige."

Pádraic Maher, Tipperary half-back and Thurles Sarsfields GAA member; 

"Foróige is a great charity and this gives me the chance to give something back because in the GAA we get great support from the community. The more outlets young people have the better and I know that Foróige is providing those outlets. Anything that leads people down the right path is a good thing. It would be great if lots of people signed up to this abseil event. We have a lot of good youth services in Ireland but there's always room to improve and grow."

Pauric 'Paudie' Mahony, Waterford wing-forward and Ballygunner GAA Club member;

"It's actually great to get behind anything that supports youth services. Activities that keep young people busy and off the streets are great. I knew what my passion was growing up and having a passion keeps you on the straight and narrow. It's been explained to me that there have been major cut backs within the youth sector so the more people who come out and support the Foróige abseil event the better."

Ben Brosnan, Wexford wing-forward and Bannow Ballymitty GAA Club member;

"Most of us try and do our small bit for a good cause. Foróige is providing a great outlet for thousands of young people in every county so it's great to support this event. I want to see loads of people signing up to do the abseil. It will be great fun and it will help to keep Foróige's youth services going. Everybody knows that Ireland is in recession so it can be hard for people to donate a little bit but giving young people space to develop is really important and that's what Foróige does."

During the two days, abseil stations will be open from 9.30am to 5pm and participants will be on the site for approximately 90 minutes under the guidance of professional instructors from the Adventure Agency. If you're under 18 you will need to bring a consent form signed by a parent or guardian. The registration fee is €30. In addition, you must raise sponsorship of €70. A concession of €50 sponsorship applies to Foróige members, volunteers and staff but the €30 registration fee still applies. 

Those who raise more than €100 in sponsorship will have the chance to win a voucher permitting two people to participate in the Adventure Agency's 'Ultimate Abseil' experience in Dalkey, Dublin. We have two of these vouchers to give away.

You must register for this event in advance in order to take part. To register visit: www.foroige.ie/abseil

For more information please email: siobhan.cadogan@foroige.ie or phone Siobhán on 086 784 2283. Media can contact Jerome Hughes on the number below.

 ENDS 

For further information please contact: 

Jerome Hughes, Foróige Media Officer

086 197 4392

Foróige is the leading and largest youth organisation in Ireland. The charity works with almost 57,000 young people and 5,125 adult volunteers annually, through a network of 534 youth clubs, 126 targeted projects and national programmes such as Citizenship, Entrepreneurship and Leadership.

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