Dave Fenton Charity Cycle

The Dave Fenton Charity Cycle is a community-driven event bringing cyclists of all levels together for a great day out on the roads of the Beara Peninsula. Whether you’re taking on the 100km challenge or enjoying the 40km route, the focus is on participation, community, and supporting two important local organisations.

This promises to be a fantastic day of cycling, scenery, and community spirit.

Dave Fenton is widely remembered in Castletownbere as a respected Garda, a committed GAA man and a dedicated RNLI volunteer. He wore his Garda uniform, RNLI gear and GAA colours with equal distinction. A proud Kerry man, he became deeply woven into the life of the Castletownbere community.

A talented footballer, he played with Castletownbere GAA and was regarded as a valued club member both on and off the pitch, making a lasting contribution to the local sporting community. He was a key player in Castletownbere winning the 2012 Cork Intermediate Football Championship (IFC). With the RNLI Castletownbere lifeboat station, he served as both deputy coxswain and deputy mechanic. He was involved in many rescues, some of which were featured on the BBC’s Saving Lives at Sea television series, and he also received two Water Safety Ireland awards.

We are organising this charity cycle to honour Dave’s exceptional contribution to the two organisations that meant so much to him.

The 40km traces the full loop around the western end of the peninsula, and it punches well above its distance. You'll roll out of Castletownbere heading west on the R572, climb gently through Cahermore, and drop down into Allihies, the old copper-mining village where the houses are painted in colours you'll remember long after the cycle.

From Allihies the route turns north, lifting up over the spine of the peninsula past Reentrisk, with the Atlantic on your left and the Slieve Miskish mountains on your right. You'll come down through Travara and along Coulagh Bay into Urhan on to Eyeries, another village that looks like it was painted for a postcard. The return leg runs east along the R571 on the north coast through Kilmacowen, with Bere Island and the harbour opening up below you as you drop back into Castletownbere.

Be honest with yourself. This is not a flat spin. Beara doesn't do flat. There are two real climbs (out of Allihies, and the pull-up from Coulagh Bay), several rolling sections (steep descents so go slow!!), and exposed stretches where an Atlantic headwind can turn an easy kilometre into a hard one. If you ride a bike a couple of times a month through the spring, you'll be fine. If you haven't been on a bike since last summer, do a few prep spins first.

Time in the saddle: roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours for most riders. Distance: 40km. Suits: recreational cyclists, returning riders, and anyone who wants the full Beara experience without committing to a full day.

At the event, a mobile cycle repair service, along with first aid and medical assistance, will be available. Water stop at Allihies and main food stop at the Urhan Inn.

Every euro raised goes to two organisations that hold this community together. One pulls people out of the Atlantic. The other gives them somewhere to belong on dry land.

Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat has provided a vital sea-based search and rescue service in the waters off the Beara Peninsula for nearly 30 years. It assists vessels in difficulty, provides first aid to injured mariners, tows boats to safety and searches for casualties in the water.

The service is operated entirely by volunteers and depends on fundraising to support every aspect of its work, including boat maintenance, fuel, crew training and the crew’s all-weather gear.

The pitch this cycle starts and finishes at is more than a sports ground. It's where children find their first team, where teenagers stay connected to the parish, and where the community gathers on summer evenings.

Running a club costs real money: pitch maintenance, insurance, gear for underage teams, transport, coaching. Every cent raised here keeps the club open and accessible to anyone in the parish who wants to play.

This event only happens because people show up, on a bike, in a hi-vis, behind a barbecue, or on the side of the road with a flask and a cheer. Whether you're cycling the 40km or the 100km, marshalling a junction, manning a feed stop, or bringing the family down to the square for the BBQ and musician Pat Higgins in the afternoon, there's a place here for you. And if you can't make it at all, you can still back the cause by donating from wherever you are. Anyone willing to help on the day should email dfcharitycycle@gmail.com

Once the bikes are racked and the legs are stretched, the day moves down to the square in Castletownbere for a BBQ and live music with Pat Higgins. It's the part of the day where the cycle stops being a cycle and starts being a session: riders comparing notes on the climb out of Allihies, families joining in, locals dropping by, and the smell of the grill doing most of the marketing. Stay as long as you like. The music will be going, the food will be coming, and after a day on the Beara roads you'll have earned both.