Cork nurses prepare to embark on 800km charity cyle to Lourdes

Lourdes has long held a special place in the hearts of East Cork nurses Síle Stack and Marie-Therese Keating.

Síle, who works in the Mercy University Hospital’s Emergency Department, and Marie-Therese, a HSE mental health nurse, have been travelling to the religious site for 28 and 18 years respectively.

They first met and became friends on one such pilgrimage many years ago, and now work together as lead nurses with the Cloyne Diocesan Pilgrimage, bringing sick pilgrims to Lourdes every summer.

“People often ask us, ‘what brings you back (to Lourdes) every year?’” recounts Marie-Therese. “And it’s very hard to put into words.

“There’s just an unbelievable connection and a friendship and it’s like an extended family of our own. It’s our Lourdes family. And that’s where the passion comes from.”

When the opportunity arose, therefore, to embark on a charity cycle from Paris to Lourdes, the pair leapt at the chance.

The cycle will take place next Easter, beginning in Chartres, south-west of Paris, on March 27, and culminating in Lourdes at the foothills of the Pyrénées Mountains on Good Friday, April 3, 2026.

The event is organised every two years by Rise and Shine, a national, volunteer-led charity that brings around 400 children and young people with additional needs on respite breaks to Lourdes each Easter.

“It’s like a pilgrimage in itself, I suppose,” considers Marie-Therese. “Except we’re going by road, on a bike!”

To take part in the event, each cyclist must raise €3,000 in sponsorship and separately pay for their plane fare and accommodation. Síle and Marie-Therese are aiming to raise €3,000 each for Rise and Shine, with any additional funds raised going to their local charity, the Midleton District Lourdes Invalid Fund.

The cyclists will travel 800km over the seven days, spending about five or six hours per day on the bikes. Luckily, Síle and Marie-Therese have both previously undertaken numerous cycling challenges before, including the Ring of Beara and Ring of Kerry. Paris to Lourdes, however, will be especially meaningful for the pair.

“The heart of the pilgrimage for us is the assisted pilgrims and the children that Rise and Shine bring to Lourdes”, explains Síle. “To see them light up and enjoy the experience so much, that gives us a huge amount of inspiration to keep going every year.

“This is our way of giving back and going on our own journey and pilgrimage from Paris to Lourdes. It will be a massive adventure and a big challenge.”

The pair embark on this challenge not just for the many pilgrims they travel with each year, but in memory of their late friend, Áine Byrne, who passed away six years ago.

“Áine was an amazing person,” says Marie-Therese. “She would always talk about the Lourdes trip at Easter, when the kids would come out, all the lovely colours and everything... So I said I’d love to do something in memory of her>”

Síle and Marie-Therese will undertake the cycle as part of a team of 90 cyclists and support crew members who hail from all over the country and all walks of life. The full team will meet in person three times before the main event, getting to know each other and training together as a convoy.

With the 800km challenge still some months away, the first hurdle for the cyclists will be raising the necessary funds to take part. Síle and Marie-Therese have set up a GoFundMe page for anyone wishing to donate, and are also organising a special fundraising event along the Midleton to Youghal Greenway this Sunday (October 19).

Members of the public are invited to join the pair as they cycle the length of the Greenway to raise awareness and money for their French adventure. Anyone is welcome to come along at 9.30am on the day, and can cycle or walk as much of the route as they like.

As Marie-Therese notes: “It’s a Sunday morning, what else would you be doing? It’s a fun thing and people can do whatever distance they wish. The only thing we can’t predict is the weather. We’ll put an Infant of Prague statue out to have good weather!”

Anyone with any questions about the charity cycle or Lourdes pilgrimages can have a chat with Síle or Marie-Therese at the Greenway event.

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh I’d love to go to Lourdes’”, says Síle. “But they don’t know how to get involved or how to help out. This is the perfect opportunity, come along to the Greenway! We’re there and they can ask a question about to how to go to Lourdes”.

While Síle and Marie-Therese focus on training in the short term – attempting to cycle 50-100km every week – their thoughts remain on the long-term goal of completing the 800km challenge next Easter. What will be going through their minds as they reach Lourdes on Good Friday?

“I imagine that we will be totally and utterly elated,” says Síle. “It’s going to be extremely emotional, but we’re going to be on a high”.

The cycle will be a huge team effort – not just consisting of the 90 cyclists and support crew in France, but all the family and friends who are helping to get them there.

Síle and Marie-Therese are thankful to everyone who has supported them so far on their journey, and say: “We are blown away by everyone’s generosity and will pedal every kilometre with gratitude when we leave from Paris in March, 2026”.

To donate to Síle and Marie-Therese’s GoFundMe for the Paris-Lourdes charity cycle, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cycling-paris-to-lourdes-march-2026. Join them on the Greenway cycle departing at 9.30am from Midleton Training Station this Sunday.

• Anyone interested in going to Lourdes with the Cloyne Diocesan Pilgrimage can get in touch via lourdescloyne@gmail.com.
• More information on Rise and Shine is available at www.riseandshine.ie.

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