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A GROUP OF almost 50 friends will swim in 17 counties across Ireland over 38 hours to raise money for their friend who is in a coma after a tragic accident.
Pádraig Schaler is a hugely popular 23-year-old who is currently in Germany receiving rehabilitative neurological care after being knocked from his bike and injured in Cape Cod last summer.
Swim for Pádraig
In testament to his popularity, his friends have organised Swim for Pádraig, a fundraising swim on his behalf.
They have already raised €22,500, which will go towards the treatment of the talented Dublin swimmer and passionate Gaeilgeoir.
The swimmers will travel around Ireland over 38 hours from today to tomorrow (12 – 13 April), brazing freezing waters to swim in every county with a coast.
Pádraig had just completed his undergraduate studies in Trinity College Dublin, where he was studying Irish and History.
He was brought home to Ireland by his parents after two weeks in intensive care in the US, and his parents then made the decision to move him to Germany.
Event organiser, Aodhan Ó Deá, said that Pádraig is an excellent swimmer, so this event is “the perfect way to honour him”.
The event is also being organised through Irish and English, in tribute to Pádraig’s passion for the language.
Passionate and stubborn
“Pádraig is the type of guy who’d be first in line organising something like this,” said Ó Dea, who was inspired to organise this event after setting up something similar – on a much smaller scale – two years ago.
Ó Dea met Padraig when he was his cinnire at Irish college. They stayed in touch through Conradh na Gaeilge events, as Pádraig was involved in national campaigns and the Conradh’s radio station.
“This is the kind of event he would have loved, he loves swimming,” said Ó Dea. “He is a big advocate for the Irish language.”
Ó Dea has visited his friend in hospital in Germany, and said it was “difficult” seeing him., but added: “There’s a proper health system over there – the doctors are very hopeful. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Someone that loves life
Caoimhe Ní Mhuilleoir has been a friend of Pádraig’s since they lived at at Scéim Chónaithe na Mac Léinn, the accommodation for Irish speakers at Trinity College Dublin.
They were also in the Irish language society together. “He is incredibly passionate about Irish,” said Ní Mhuilleoir. “He achieved a lot of things for the Irish language in Trinity.”
She described Pádraig as “someone that loves life”.
When you were with Pádraig, you knew you were going to have a great time no matter what you’re doing.
She said that his popularity is “just incredible” and described him as “very loyal and almost stubborn”.
Ní Mhuilleoir said the challenge is going “to be very hard, very cold, very miserable” but she is happy to do anything to help her friend and his family.
Another friend of Pádraig’s, Oisín Mistéil, said of the swim: “It’s a testament to just how many friends he has in so many different circles.”
So many people have been touched by Pádraig and his friendly demeanour and his innate likeability.
He described Pádraig as “very positive”. “He doesn’t see barriers like other people. If he wants something, he will go get it regardless of things that would put other people off.”
He also lived in the same accommodation as Pádraig in Trinity, and travelled on a J1 visa to the USA with him. It was Pádraig who taught him how to swim during one trip to San Diego.
A special fund has been set up, Caring for Pádraig and all donations to Snámh Phádraig will go towards the costs of Pádraig’s care.
People can sponsor a swimmer at this link. You can learn more about Pádraig at www.caringforpadraig.org or at Pádraig’s father, Reinhard Schäler’s blog www.hospi-tales.com.
Another reminder that the children’s hospital is being built in the wrong location. Every time there is an accident on the M50 roads into Dublin cannot manage the level of traffic.
Inside the M50 belt just does not make sense.
@Ciarán McPhillips: such a scary thought for a child to be in an ambulance and caught up on the M50. Disgraceful decision.
@Deborah Behan: We’re sleepwalking our way towards that exact situation. The mind boggles.
No doubt caused by some muppet hammering up the outside/city lanes and then nipping in to go northbound. We need to start a campaign to not let queue jumpers in.
@mcgoo:
Or perhaps allowing queue jumpers in would stop the accidents
Meanwhile here in Leitrim….
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: who cares about a dying county like Leitrim
@Michael Walsh: We are not dying. We’re generally quite happy that we don’t have to become a slave to make a living. Who cares about the septic tank that is Dublin? See…same question.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: As a Dub myself id agree. Dublin is grinding to a standstill as we repeat the mistakes of the Celtic tiger years and continue to vote for political organisations who have their and not the nation as a whole best interests at heart.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: jealous
@quality cheese: Did you post this on your 6 hour journey to work or from bed this morning? Hard to tell…. but “quality cheese”…… your at home
@Michael Walsh: like it or not your taxes keep Leitrim going.
@quality cheese: A tendency to resort to insults shows quite clearly a lack of intellect.
Tailgating is the problem. Its amazing cars doing 140kph tailgating just 1 metre behind the car in front. Amazing breaking system they must have to avoid a crash if the car in front suddenly breaks. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. 1m for every 2kph. Eg a car must leave 200 metres distance at 100 kph.
@Brendan Mason: That and the roads were wet this morning, come this way every morning before 7am.
Speed limit drops from 100 kp to 80 kp, most people dont pay any heed to that.
Many go beyond it.
Zero police enforcement and bad driving skills, welcome to Irish driving!
@Brendan Mason: 1m for every 2kph? Therfore using your formula travelling around 100kph should have a gap of 50m not 200m. Anyway if anyone left a gap of 200m on an Irish motorway they’d be flashed at (lights) and abused by other road users.
@Brendan Mason: The accident happened close to the Luas car park junction before the M50. Given the time of morning the accident occurred, and it being a Monday which is probably the busiest morning of the week anyway, it’s virtually an impossibility that cars were traveling at 140kph, or anywhere remotely close to that speed.
@Tommy Roche: the 140 kph is an example. 4okph may be enough to cause a crash if cars are close enough to each other .
@Brendan Mason: 40 kph sorry.
@Brendan Mason: I drive as part of my job and find that if you do leave a gap to the car in front then you’ll always have a gimp who will try to squeeze their car into that gap meaning you have to jam on the breaks
@Brendan Mason: 1mtr behind a car in front driving at 140kmh? Bit of an exaggeration don’t you think. Most drivers wouldn’t be able to judge 60, 80,100mtrs. Little tip – if you are overtaking in the out most lane try keep right of centre of your lane. You will be able to see the break lights of the second car in front.
@Brendan Mason: if you keep the right distance some mope jumps in in front of you that cuts your distance your bolloxed then . This happens very often rant over
For a lot of tech companies e.g. Facebook, Dell, Amazon, people can work from home quite a bit. With some planning you dont need mega-speed broadband either. Can’t help but think some of these businesses could make the leap to commuter towns and beyond. Clonakility has a multinational, the workers have houses, sea-air, little traffic and are 30 mins from Cork for a bit of life, and the airport also. Not ignoring the lack of routes currently available, but if more large towns within 60 mins of Galway, Limerick and Cork were utilised, how much better would life be for people? It will only take one big tech company to lead the way.
Vomit. How do people put up with this shit everyday of their lives.
Life is short people.
@Ciarán McPhillips: I ment 50 metres for 100 kph.
70 metres for 140 kph etc.
@Brendan Mason: but they are not leaving a fraction of that distance. Gung ho. Flash lights. The road is mine attitude. Slap on the breaks etc.
@Brendan Mason:
Spot on. Clueless behaviour.
H
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