Cork man's tractor trek to aid Crohn’s charity

If you’d told Brendan Lewis just a few years ago that he would drive a tractor from Malin Head to Mizen Head, he’d have said you were mad.

After receiving a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease in 2015 at the age of 22, all the fun of young adult life was cut short for the Shanagarry man.

“I was in the hospital on my own and I was told, ‘You’ve got Crohn’s disease’,” recalls Brendan, who now lives in Cobh.

“I said, innocently enough, ‘Is there a tablet I can take or an operation I can get?’ And I was told there’s no cure for it. I’d have it for the rest of my life.”

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a lifelong, chronic condition that affects more than 40,000 people in Ireland, explains Victoria Spillane, interim Chief Operations Officer of Crohn’s & Colitis Ireland (CCI).

“It is a complex disease with no known exact cause and, as of yet, no cure,” she said. “But its impact extends far beyond the individual. IBD affects families, friends, and loved ones, often placing emotional, financial, and physical strain on entire support networks.”

Following his diagnosis, Brendan suffered years of debilitating flare-ups of the condition. He had just earned his truck licence when he was diagnosed, but his dreams of becoming an HGV driver were dashed because he always had to be close to a toilet. Struggling to manage his condition, he lost five stone in just 12 months.

Then Brendan was transferred to a new medical team under Dr Jane McCarthy at the Mercy University Hospital. “They changed all my medication and sent me for every scan possible,” Brendan says. “I was like a new young fella within four or five months”.

This transformation gave Brendan a new lease of life. He co-founded and chairs the Ballymore Vintage and Threshing Club, where he indulges his life-long love of tractors. The ‘Bally Boys’, as they are known, regularly host fundraising initiatives for local charities.

This gave Brendan the idea to raise money for a cause close to his own heart - Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland. And what better way to do it than on his beloved vintage tractor, driving from Malin to Mizen Head?

Brendan was joined by his father-in-law, Peter Collins, and Peter’s nephew, James Cahill Jr, on their tractors. A vital support team - Tony Gilmartin, Morgan Collins, Laurence O’Connor and Aaron Cahill - were tasked with accompanying them along the route.

Getting the vehicles up to Malin Head was a mission in itself, with trucks used to transport the tractors ahead of the first day of the challenge on April 29.

The route was planned weeks in advance, with the help of Rathcormac man Tom Fitzgerald, who had completed the journey a few years before. Tom shared a huge wealth of information about the run - “he was nearly able to tell me how much diesel I was going to burn,” jokes Brendan. “He gave us all his planning. So, all we had to do was go.”

Another huge help was Brendan’s friend Noel Duggan. A man with no interest in tractors, Noel took on the administrative role in the group, booking each night’s accommodation. He also accompanied the crew in his van as part of the support team.

The group took their time on the first day, 130km of driving through Donegal. Day 2 was the longest day - 196km from Barnesmore Gap in Donegal to Ballinasloe in Galway - a ten-and-a-half-hour journey on tractors. “We were around halfway by then,” recalls Brendan. “We were getting excited!”

Day 3 took the ‘Bally Boys’ from Ballinasloe to Charleville.

They woke up in their home county on Day 4 with huge anticipation for the day ahead. They took the scenic route, past Charleville to Killarney, through Moll’s Gap and Kenmare, and over the Caha Pass towards Bantry, where they spent the final night of their journey.

“We left Bantry on the Saturday morning and struck out for Mizen Head,” Brendan recounts. “I think at that stage we were the most nervous as we’d come so far.”

The ‘Bally Boys’ feared something would go wrong at the final hurdle, but these worries were put to rest as they arrived without a hitch at Mizen Head to a heroes’ welcome.

Brendan’s wife Aoife and kids Holly, 6, and Alex, 2, were there, along with a large group of Cobh locals who had travelled to Mizen Head for the occasion.

The sun was shining on arrival, just as it had been for the full five days of the tractor run. “We didn’t see a drop of rain”, says Brendan.

So nice was the weather that support team member Tony Gilmartin earned himself the nickname of “99 connoisseur” for all the ice creams he sampled along the route!

The tractor run was a brilliant achievement for the ‘Bally Boys’, but most importantly, they raised a fantastic €9,155 for CCI. It was “a powerful act of advocacy,” says Victoria Spillane.

She said: “(Brendan’s) determination to raise awareness and funds, even while managing his own health challenges, is a testament to the resilience and strength of the IBD community. The ‘Bally Boys’ support for him and their shared commitment to this cause is both heart-warming and inspiring.”

The experience was a great personal achievement for Brendan, too, after years of battling Crohn’s disease. He’s setting his sights even higher - or rather, longer - next time. “We got off the tractors,” he says of the end of the run, “and I said, would we try John O’Groats to Land’s End next?”

Watch this space!

If you or someone you love is affected by IBD, you can contact Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland at 01 531 2983 or info@crohnscolitis.ie.

To support the charity’s work or learn more about how to get involved, visit www.crohnscolitis.ie.