Enda cycled the height of three Everests, all for people of Gaza

From politicians to rap stars, it’s not difficult to discern where the vast majority of Irish people stand on the ongoing, sickening destruction of Gaza, and the starvation and slaughter of the Palestinian people.

But, despite the furrowed brows of Simon Harris, and the chants of Kneecap, it can be hard to escape the sheer futility of mere words.

Today, I want to tell you about what a Cork man did to show solidarity with the suffering people of Gaza, and to make a real, tangible difference to the lives of the victims of that terrible war.

Enda Francis-Devine has just completed a remarkable 3,846km cross-continent bicycle journey from Ireland to Istanbul in Turkey that amassed a vast sum of money - to date, €22,437 - for the humanitarian charity Doctors Without Borders.

Since the current conflict began in October, 2023, a dozen of its staff have been killed in Gaza, and, despite appalling conditions on the ground, the charity has carried out over a million outpatient consultations and more than a quarter of a million emergency presentations.

The huge sum of money raised by Enda, 26, from Innishannon, and his fellow cyclist for the marathon trek, Conor Kavanagh, will go a long way to helping treat the victims of war and save lives in Gaza.

Enda’s 48-day cycle will put many of us to shame who have looked on in despair as the horrors of Gaza have unfolded. But there is something we can all do to help the cause - right now.

You can donate to Enda’s charity effort via this link: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/GearsforGaza

The Echo ran an article on Enda and Conor’s mission when they started out in July, and Enda said: “It made a huge difference to the donations, Thanks for your support, and the support of your readers.”

Well, readers, let’s see if we can tip that total over the €30,000 mark.

The duo’s trek across 13 countries and two time zones began on July 6 in Meath, where Conor lives, and culminated when they crossed the bridge from Europe to Asia in Istanbul on August 23. The countries in between were Wales, England, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece.

Enda explained: “We cycled 27,013m of elevation (the equivalent height of Mount Everest more than three times), stayed in 10 hostels, and had two police escorts.”

“The biggest challenges we faced were the wild dogs in Turkey, the heat (cycling in up to 40C), camping in wolf and bear territory in the Bosnian and Serbian mountains, and cold weather and rain during our Alps crossing.”

Enda also had to contend with a vomiting bug in Bosnia. “I got sick every hour through the night. I think it might have been heat-stroke as we had been cycling in 40C through two days leading up to it.”

He went to a clinic and was put on a drip for an hour, but still managed to cycle 62km that day, with 1,200m of elevation, to get to a hostel in Serbia “for the best sleep of my life”.

Enda added: “The nausea and weak appetite stuck around for about three days, but we covered 100km each of those days, which I’m very proud of, but it was definitely the darkest time of the trip.”

As for the wild dogs, Enda said: “They were a worry. On one occasion we were chased by 10-15 of them on a Turkish highway, but we found that if you keep up your speed and shout back at them, they actually spook quite easily and leave you alone.”

The wolves and bears sound even scarier, but luckily kept their distance from the intrepid duo.

“From north Croatia through to central Bulgaria (maybe 10-14 days) it was a big concern while camping,” said Enda. “We tried to stick close to towns and major roads and kept all our food away from our tents.

“On one occasion, while looking for a place to sleep, we saw yellow glowing eyes just back from the road, and when we saw them come closer we put of there as quick as we could!

“Another night, we could hear wolves howling in the night but they sounded distant enough to not be too big a worry. It definitely affected sleep though as your mind becomes hyper-vigilant to any sound outside the tent when it’s in your head that this wildlife is around.”

Temperatures of 40C turned their bottled water warm - “it was like drinking bathwater” - and the pair just cycled 200-400 metres at a time in that heat, going from shade to shade.

Remarkably, they suffered just one puncture, but were saddle-sore. Enda added: “Of course, we ended it with unfathomably sore asses!”

Naturally, there were many memorable days and encounters too.

“The highlights were camping in beautiful landscapes, and meeting incredibly friendly people every day,” said Enda. “Each border crossing was a victory, the bikes held up ferociously well with next to no issues, and getting off the bike for the final time on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait was incredible.”

Along the way, Enda missed out on cheering on his beloved Cork hurling team in the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. “Unfortunately, I was stuck to the bike for the afternoon but I got live updates from my family at home. A sad day for Cork!”

Two highlights of the trip involved police escorts. Enda said: “The first was in Croatia when we found ourselves on a busy highway and everyone was blasting their horns at us.

“A police car stopped us and told us the station had been blowing up with calls about two cyclists on the highway. They told us that was a felony so we had to go to the station and pay a fine. We had to cycle 3km to the next exit with the police behind us and the lights flashing - but this felt so much safer than before.

“The policeman was really sound and hugely interested in the journey and what we were doing, they let us fill our water at the station.”

The second police escort occurred right at the death. The bridge to Istanbul is classified as a highway so cycling is prohibited. “But we were eager to say we’d cycled all the way to Asia, so we chanced it... and on the far side we got the blue lights again,” recalled Enda. “The police, luckily, were equally sound and gave us an escort off the highway and down to where we’d chosen our finish line.”

Conor grew up in Innishannon, attending Scoil Eoin primary school before completing secondary school in Hamilton High School in Bandon.

He studied Social Work in university in Dublin where he met Conor, his cycle trek colleague.

Enda’s parents are both in the caring profession, and he followed in their footsteps, working for a resettlement service supporting people in direct provision centres to find secure housing. The insight he gained was behind his push to raise money for Doctors Without Borders.

He explained: “I wanted to raise money for this cause because I know so many people who came from Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria who had to leave due to conflict, so I recognise the struggle of the people in Gaza and have known stories like theirs.

“I have not been directly impacted by the conflict in Gaza in any way but I don’t want to live in a world where a genocide is taking place and people aren’t taking action.

“It was important to me to feel like I was making as much of a contribution as I could, and Doctors Without Borders seemed to be having a huge impact on the ground, so fundraising for them felt like the most useful thing we could do.

“I am proud, as an Irish person, to stand with Palestine.”