Tandem bike pilots helping people with disabilities in Cork experience the joy of cycling 

Tandem bike pilots are helping people with disabilities experience parts of Cork they never thought would be accessible to them again as part of a special mission to stamp out isolation in communities.

Trailblazer Mark O’Donoghue from Glanmire decided he wanted to share his bicycle for two with as many people as possible, who might not otherwise have experienced cycling, several years ago. 

Three other tandem bike pilots have since followed his lead including Tom English, Gerry Collins, and Dan Lenihan.

Mr O’Donoghue collects bikes and adapts them to suit people with varying disabilities. 

He regularly brings people on trips through the walkway near Blackrock Castle on the back of his bicycle. 

Passengers over the years have suffered with everything from cerebral palsy to mobility issues, Motor Neurone Disease and MS, among other conditions.

The four meet with their passengers every Thursday by the Natural Foods Bakery in Blackrock before taking to the Blackrock Walkway on their eye-catching bicycles. 

Mark had been changing lives with his tandem bike for years before joining forces with friends Tom, Gerry and Dan. 

The idea now is to expand the free service to improve the lives of people living with debilitating conditions. 

Their dream is to eventually have a storage facility in Blackrock to allow controlled access for tandem bike pilots and cyclists at their own convenience.

One man currently cycling with the group fundraised independently for a tandem, bringing the number of bikes now owned by the group to six.

Leonard O’Mahony from Grange, who lost his sight to diabetes last year, described the comfort he has gained from his new hobby.

“I got involved with it after a tandem cyclist by the name of Geraldine Looney gave me Mark’s number. 

“When your sight goes so does your independence. 

“I can’t go on a bike by myself so just having the wind in my face is a wonderful feeling. 

“This was just one of the cogs that helped me get my independence back.” 

He said that cycling provided him with a new lease of life after being forced to give up driving.

“The amount of things you can’t do without your sight is incredible. 

“I’ve been driving all my life but I can’t do that anymore. 

“I was on my way home with my son a few weeks ago when I turned to him and said: 'I’ll never be able to drive again'.

“He just replied: 'Do you know what? The traffic is terrible!” 

Mark confessed that he initially found leaving the house difficult following his sight loss.

“A couple of people told me that if I couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t run behind me. So I got up and I did it. 

“Diabetes is a very insidious disease. I had six operations by a fantastic surgeon who did everything he could to help. 

“This time last year I was sinking. I was between closing the curtains and getting up and out again. 

“It was peer groups like this that helped me keep my head above water.” 

One of the best things about cycling with the group, Leonard explained, is being able to leave his mobility cane behind.

“It’s a very common trend for people to get a cane and leave it there. This is exactly what I did at first. 

“After four weeks I picked it up and brought myself out. Canes are marvellous even if they do require a lot of concentration. 

“I wouldn’t go anywhere without it now, except when I’m on the bike. When I’m on the bike I can leave all that behind. 

“You just leave it up to the pilot and let him go. I am familiar with the area and getting back to this level of independence is incredible.” 

Mr O’Mahony emphasised how the group has helped him socially.
“When you lose your sight you lose an awful lot of control. What I miss most is facial interaction. 

“Someone could be throwing their eyes up to heaven or sticking their tongue out at me now and I wouldn’t even realise. 

“Hand and facial gestures are a huge part of interacting. If you don’t have that you end up withdrawing. 

“It was pointed out to me in different scenarios where I hadn’t participated in a conversation.” 

He praised the people of Cork for their support.

“99% of my experiences have been absolutely fantastic, particularly with children who have been really kind. 

“One boy picked up some eggs for me when I couldn’t see them in the supermarket. 

“He told me he was free for the next 15 minutes if I needed him to pick anything else out for me. 

“Another girl stopped me when she thought I was going the wrong way.

“She called me back and said: 'You’re going the wrong way. That’s the way into somebody’s house'.

“I explained to her that it was my own house but added that I was very impressed and grateful for her concern. 

“If something ever happened to me or I did lose my way I’d like to think that there was someone like her around to help.” 

Mark O’Donoghue described the benefits of tandem bike cycling for people with physical limitations.

“This is not just for blind and visually impaired people. 

“It’s for people who can’t, for whatever reason, cycle a bicycle on their own. 

“Some of the people who have come cycling with us have had conditions like Parkinson’s and Motor Neurone Disease as well as many other illnesses. 

“It’s very good for people with neurological illnesses because it gets the body moving again.” 

Mr O’Donoghue and his friends worked tirelessly to ensure the cycling meet ups were as safe as possible.

“They were on training courses to learn how to be pilots on tandems. For about six weeks we were just doing trial runs and practising.” 

Local Fine Gael Councillor Des Cahill is currently working with the tandem pilots to help them secure a city council grant.

“The hope is to have a bike shed by Blackrock Community Centre instead of having a guy open their house every time they need to take the bikes out. 

“This is a voluntary and really worthy cause that should be supported. 

“Volunteers need to be thanked for spotting a gap and not sitting back and waiting for it to be filled by someone else. 

“Blackrock is the perfect location for an initiative like this because it’s very safe and accessible by bus.”