Donegal Oil

HOME HEATING

Donegal Sports Partnership along with sponsors Arthur McMahon from Donegal Oil Company, held the first ever to be held in Donegal, Women’s Only Multi-Sport Adventure Challenge which took place at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Saturday 29th April last.

This event was aimed to encourage participation in outdoor activities for all age groups and fitness abilities, throughout County Donegal in a fun and safe way. 200+ Women registered to take part, with the majority having never done anything like this in their lives before.

“The positive energy”, “the encouragement and the co-ordination was fantastic”, was just some of the feedback received from the ladies who took part!

Since Covid and all the lockdowns we have endured over the past few years, Team Donegal Oil and Donegal Sports Partnership were approached by a large number of women who would love to participate in a fun event that would get them back out training or even just to start doing some training and also have something to look forward to participating in with their friends and work colleagues. After several discussions between Myles Sweeney of Donegal Sports Partnership, Arthur McMahon, Donegal Oil Company, Rory Kennedy. Grace Ann McGarvey and Shaun Stewart and Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre, this event was finally brought to life. Shaun Stewart, Course Director designed the route that consisted of a 5km Walk/Jog/Run, 20km Cycle and a 1km Kayak.

The event Sponsor, Arthur McMahon, Donegal Oil Company commented, “ It was just amazing to see the positivity and the energy at Gartan on Saturday 29th April, truly amazing and the support they got from our volunteers and their friends and family was amazing, some even commenting that they would love to do it again soon. We will be organising another one next year and dates will be discussed and hopefully released in the coming months. For the ladies to have raised so much collectively and each charity benefiting to the sum of €2750 each is amazing, well done to each and everyone of the ladies.”

Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP) Co-ordinator Myles Sweeney added ” Sports events which provide opportunities for women to participate are a key focus of Sport Ireland and the Donegal Sports Partnership and forms part of the the National Women in Sport strategy. We are delighted to partner with Donegal Oil Company for this event and our team are delighted to have supported as many women as possible to take part in what was a fun event at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre.”

Every single cent raised from Registration Entry fees and donations went directly to two Donegal Women’s Charities, Donegal Women’s Centre and Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service – DWDVS. Both charities do tremendous work and provide vital services for women here in our county and they both support thousands of women in their centres each year.

Speaking on behalf of the Donegal Women’s Centre based at Port Rd, Letterkenny, Alison Egan, Interim Manager commented, “ I went to support the ladies at Gartan last April 29th and I was so impressed with the amount of women who were taking part in this event. Women of all ages and abilities and many novices to the world of Adventure racing. To have chosen our centre as one of the charities was a huge lift to us and we are so grateful to all the ladies who contributed through their registration fees and donations, thank you so much to each and everyone of you.”

Marie Hainsworth, Manager of Donegal Domestic Violence Services CLG also based in Letterkenny commented, “We provide Domestic Violence Services with a 24-hr helpline and emergency refuge accommodation as well as outreach support for women and children throughout the county of Donegal. To be chosen as a recipient of this Adventure Challenge fundraiser means so much to us all her at the centre. In addition, we have a number of programmes that offer a more creative way of working with trauma, some of which are designed specifically for children. We would like to sincerely thank Donegal Sports Partnership, Donegal Oil Company and all of the ladies who donated through their registration fees and by other means of donations. You should all be so proud of yourself for completing the challenge but also helping so many other women by providing help for us to provide services and help to them. Thanks to all the ladies who helped.”

Team Donegal Oil Purple HVO 90 percent renewable Fuel Home Heating Oil
Team Donegal Oil Purple HVO 90 percent renewable Fuel Home Heating Oil

Donegal Sports Partnership along with sponsors Team Donegal Oil, founded by Arthur McMahon from Donegal Oil Company held the first ever to be held in Donegal, Women’s Only Multi-Sport Adventure Challenge which took place at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Saturday 29th April last.

This event was aimed to encourage participation in outdoor activities for all age groups and fitness abilities, throughout County Donegal. 200+ Women registered to take part, with the majority having never done anything like this in their lives before.

This event was enjoyed by absolutely everyone who took part and the feedback has been incredibly positive. Some of the comments from the participants are : “What a Fantastic Event”, “Thanks for a great day and a challenge that so many people like myself never would have gotten the opportunity to do if it wasn’t for this event”, “ You have all been so helpful and supportive”, “ When you all gather around the table to organise the next event please offer my sincere thanks to all those people involved”, “We cannot wait for the next one”, “ The positive energy, the encouragement and the co-ordination was fantastic”, and that was only a few that was taken from their feedback to mention!

Since Covid and all the lockdowns we have endured over the past few years, Team Donegal Oil and Donegal Sports Partnership were approached by a large number of women who would love to participate in a fun event that would get them back out training or even just to start doing some training and also have something to look forward to participating in with their friends and work colleagues. After several discussions between Myles Sweeney of Donegal Sports Partnership, Arthur McMahon, Donegal Oil Company, Rory Kennedy. Grace Ann McGarvey and Shaun Stewart and Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre, this event was finally brought to fruition. Shaun Stewart the Course Director designed the route that consisted of a 5km Walk/Jog/Run, 20km Cycle and a 1km Kayak.

The event Sponsor, Arthur McMahon, Donegal Oil Company commented, “ One of the ways we can all feel better is by getting a bit of exercise. We’re not talking about mad stuff here, just getting out in the fresh air and getting the blood pumping a bit. It really can do wonders if you’re feeling a bit blue, and that is what this event was all about. It got over 200 ladies from around the County out doing exercise in the fresh air and then for them to complete an adventure race like this was the icing on the cake for them. It was just amazing to see the positivity and the energy at Gartan last Saturday morning, truly amazing and the support they got from our volunteers and their friends and family was amazing, some commented that they would love to do it again soon. We will be organising another one next year and dates will be discussed and hopefully released in the coming months.”

Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP) Co-ordinator Myles Sweeney added ” Sports events which provide opportunities for women to participate are a key focus of Sport Ireland and the Donegal Sports Partnership and forms part of the the National Women in Sport strategy. We are delighted to partner with Team Donegal Oil for this event and our team are delighted to have supported as many women as possible that are taking part in what was a fun event at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre.”

Every single cent raised from Registration Entry fees and donations will go directly to two Donegal Women’s Charities, Donegal Women’s Centre and Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service – DWDVS.

Women’s only event, included, running , cycling and Kayaking
Women’s only event, included, running , cycling and Kayaking
Women’s only event, included, running , cycling and Kayaking

It is fitting as it is International Women’s Day, that Donegal Sports Partnership along with sponsors Team Donegal Oil, founded by Arthur McMahon from Donegal Oil Company announce that the first ever to be held in Donegal, a Women’s Only Multi-Sport Adventure Challenge will take place at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Saturday 29th April 2023.

The event is aimed to encourage participation in outdoor activities for all age groups and fitness abilities for everyone, throughout County Donegal. 200 Women have registered to take part, with the majority having never done anything like this in their lives before.

“Since Covid and all the lockdowns we have endured over the past few years, we were approached by a large number of women who would love to participate in a fun event that would get them back out training and also have something to look forward to participating in with their friends and work colleagues. After several discussions with Myles Sweeney of Donegal Sports Partnership, Rory Kennedy. Grace Ann McGarvey and Shaun Stewart, we were delighted that we could host an event like this. Shaun Stewart has come on board as our Course Director and he has designed the route that will consist of a 5km Walk/Jog/Run, 20km Cycle and a 1km Kayak.” said Arthur McMahon, Managing Director of Donegal Oil and sponsor of the event.

“It struck me when the cycle against suicide and the Pieta House darkness into light events came to Donegal that one of the ways we can help to feel better is by getting a bit of exercise. We’re not talking about mad stuff here, just getting out in the fresh air and getting the blood pumping a bit. It really can do wonders if you’re feeling a bit blue.” concludes Arthur.

Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP) Co-ordinator Myles Sweeney added ” Sports events which provide opportunities for women to participate are a key focus of Sport Ireland and the Donegal Sports Partnership and forms part of the the National Women in Sport strategy. We are delighted to link with Team Donegal Oil for this event on April 29th and and our team are look forward to supporting as many women as possible that are taking part in what will be a fun event at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Oct 9th.”

 

Every single cent raised from Registration Entry fees and donations will go directly to two Donegal Women’s Charities, Donegal Women’s Centre and Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service – DWDVS. The pre-registation starts at the Boathouse at Gartan from 8-9am and the first wave of ladies will leave at 10am. It is anticipated that the last wave will be completed by 1pm. Refreshments will be served afterwards at the Boathouse at Gartan and all spectators are welcome to come along and cheer the ladies on, on April 29th.     

 

 

 

Five well known Donegal Lads in the adventure racing world in Ireland, left the Donegal Coast over 10 days ago to take part in the world’s longest running multi-sports event – Coast to Coast New Zealand.

Arthur McMahon (Milford), Managing Director Donegal Oil Company and Founder of Donegal Oil Foundation, Boyd Robinson (Letterkenny), Gerard Callaghan (Letterkenny), Shaun Stewart (Creeslough), George Kelly (Downings) along with two well known crew members Rory Kennedy (Letterkenny) and Padrag McGinty (Downings) took part in the toughest race in the world last weekend.

They took part as individuals in the event and each of them undertook a 3 kilometre run, a 55 kilometre cycle, a 30.5 kilometre mountain run, a 17 kilometre cycle, an 800 metre run (gravel), a 70 kilometre kayak in the Waimakariri River and a final 70 kilometre cycle, totalling 243 kilometres.

 

The race started on the West Coast, at Kumara beach and traverses the width of the South Island, crossing the main divide where participants reached over 1000 metres above sea level, before dropping down into the braided Waimakariri River, onto the finish line on the East coast at Christchurch’s New Brighton Beach.

 

Shaun Stewart competed the longest one day event in the elite category and finished in a time of 13 hours 52 minutes and five seconds. Boyd Robinson finished the 2 days event in 17 hours, 55 minutes and two seconds.

 

Gerard Callaghan retired from the river on safety grounds. He made the decision to pull the boat out of the water as he felt he had not enough experience on that type of fast moving water. “There’s a point where you have to limit the risk to yourself and other safety personnel on the day, I wasn’t prepared to put other people in a compromised position and I knew I hadn’t enough experience after an hour on the river.” commented Gerard.

 

Arthur McMahon retired on the mountain as he knew that it was the right decision to make. “It was certainly a dangerous race, we knew that from the start, and even though we had completed some of the course on our training days, race day was different. My own personal safety had to come first. And I am so proud of the team that travelled here to do this event as “Team Donegal Oil Ireland” they gave it everything they could and I am thankful that we all got back safe.” says Arthur.

 

George Kelly also retired from the river stage saying, “When I got into the water I knew that the water was moving at such a fast flow that, even though I wanted to complete it so badly to get to the next stage, I knew 70km in this river might not be safe. I gave it my best and knew that it was just too dangerous to continue.”

The welcome they received from the Donegal and Irish community in New Zealand was amazing. The diaspora there helped and supported the boys in every way possible to settle in and encouraged them to the end.

Arthur McMahon commented, “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our two crew team members, Rory Kennedy and Padraig McGinty, the organisers of this event, the Donegal and Irish Diaspora in New Zealand, our families, our friends, our work colleagues and to absolutely everyone who supported us in any way and donated to our chosen charity, Relay For Life Donegal.”

“The entire trip is sponsored and fully funded, so when we discussed as a team what charity we would like to raise some funds for, we knew it had to be for a cause that was close to all our hearts and local so, we choose Relay for Life Donegal. Each one of us has had a family member or friend affected by Cancer and we have the utmost admiration for the hard working team who every year organise an event at the Atlantic Technological University Donegal in memory of those that we have lost and to support the survivors and those that are still battling cancer. Every single cent raised by us will go directly to the Relay for Life Donegal Charity.” concludes Arthur.

Five Donegal Lads will leave the Donegal Coast early next week to take part in the world’s longest running multi-sports event – Coast to Coast New Zealand.

Arthur McMahon (Milford), Managing Director Donegal Oil Company and Founder of Donegal Oil Foundation, Boyd Robinson (Letterkenny), Gerard Callaghan (Letterkenny), Shaun Stewart (Creeslough), George Kelly (Downings) along with two well known crew members Rory Kennedy (Letterkenny) and Padrag McGinty (Downings) will take part in the event on February 10th 2023.

“The Kathmandu Coast to Coast NZ is an iconic multi sport event based in the South Island of New Zealand. Held every February, the race starts on the West Coast, at Kumara beach and traverses the width of the South Island, crossing the main divide where we will reach over 1000 metres above sea level, before dropping down into the braided Waimakariri River, followed by a 70km bike in to the finish line on the East coast at Christchurch’s New Brighton beach. An exciting but challenging event. ”

“Our entries were booked pre-covid and had to be postponed due to the pandemic and we are all so delighted that the time has finally arrived. The team have been training for this now for some time and I am delighted that we are participating as “Team Donegal Oil”, the first Team from our beautiful County of Donegal to take part. It’s always great to find new challenges and for years our “Team Donegal Oil” members have been pushing the boat out to find new and exciting challenges at home here in Donegal and all over the world. This one certainly being the furthest one we will have undertaken to date.” says Arthur McMahon.

“The entire trip is sponsored and fully funded, so when we discussed as a team what charity we would like to raise some funds for, we knew it had to be for a cause that was close to all our hearts and local so, we choose Relay for Life Donegal. Each one of us has had a family member or friend affected by Cancer and we have the utmost admiration for the hard working team who every year organise an event at the Atlantic Technological University Donegal in memory of those that we have lost and to support the survivors and those that are still battling cancer. Every single cent raised by us will go directly to the Relay for Life Donegal Charity.” concludes Arthur.

Speaking on behalf of Relay For Life Donegal, Ena Barrett says, “Relay for life Donegal is a 24 hour, community celebration. A unique, empowering and fun event that has something for everyone, young and old alike. At the heart of Relay is the opportunity to celebrate cancer survivors and remember those who are no longer with us. Teams of people and individuals alike take turns walking around a track at The ATU. Because cancer never sleeps, each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the 24 hour event. Otherwise everyone is free to socialise, enjoy live entertainment and participate in lots of fun activities! When you Relay, you are supporting the provision of ongoing Irish Cancer Society Services throughout Donegal. However, everyone in the community is invited to come along and experience this inspiring event of celebration and commemoration. Two of the highlights during the Relay event are the Survivors’ Lap where we celebrate cancer survivorship and the Candle of Hope Ceremony, where we remember loved ones. We are just thrilled and so grateful to Arthur McMahon and the other lads who choose us as their preferred charity for this event. We would like to wish them a very safe and enjoyable trip and look forward to following them on their journey over the coming weeks.”

The lads will each be participating as individuals in the event and each of them will undertake to complete a 3 kilometre run, a 55 kilometre cycle, a 30.5 kilometre mountain run, a 17 kilometre cycle, an 800 metre run (gravel), a 67 kilometre kayak and a final 70 kilometre cycle; total 243 kilometres. You can follow their updates on: Facebook: TeamDonegalOilAdventureChallenge and Instagram: @donegaloil

If you would like to donate to Relay for Life Donegal, however small or large, it is so much appreciated. Thank you. Link below:
https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/coasttocoastNZ

Photo Caption: Arthur McMahon, Managing Director Donegal Oil Company and Founder of Donegal Oil Foundation, Boyd Robinson, Gerard Callaghan, Rory Kennedy, Ena Barrett, Relay for Life Donegal and Padraig McGinty

Donegal Sports Partnership and sponsor Donegal Oil Company join forces to host the very first Women’s Only Multi-Sport Fun Event in County Donegal next Sunday Oct 9th 2022 as part of European Week of Sport specially focusing on Women in Sport…

Donegal Sports Partnership along with sponsors Team Donegal Oil, founded by Arthur McMahon from Donegal Oil Company will host a Women’s Only Multi-Sport Adventure Challenge which will take place at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Sunday Oct 9th 2022.

The event is aimed to encourage participation in outdoor activities for all age groups and fitness abilities for everyone, throughout County Donegal. To date over 200 Women have registered to take part, with the majority having never done anything like this in their lives before.

“Since Covid and all the lockdowns we have endured over the past few years, we were approached by a large number of women who would love to participate in a fun event that would get them back out training and also have something to look forward to participating in with their friends and work colleagues. After several discussions with Myles Sweeney of Donegal Sports Partnership, Rory Kennedy. Grace Ann McGarvey and Shaun Stewart, we were delighted that we could host an event like this. Shaun Stewart has come on board as our Course Director and he has designed the route that will consist of a 5km Walk/Jog/Run, 20km Cycle and a 1km Kayak.” said Arthur McMahon, MD of Donegal Oil and sponsor of the event.

“It struck me when the cycle against suicide and the Pieta House darkness into light events came to Donegal that one of the ways we can help to feel better is by getting a bit of exercise. We’re not talking about mad stuff here, just getting out in the fresh air and getting the blood pumping a bit. It really can do wonders if you’re feeling a bit blue.” concludes Arthur.

Donegal Sports Partnership (DSP) Co-ordinator Myles Sweeney added ” Sports events which provide opportunities for women to participate are a key focus of Sport Ireland and the Donegal Sports Partnership and forms part of the the national Women in Sport strategy. We are delighted to link with Team Donegal Oil for this event on Oct 9th and it coincides with our European Week of Sport which focuses specially on Women in Sport and our team are look forward to supporting as many women as possible that are taking part in what will be a fun event at Gartan Outdoor Education and Training Centre on Oct 9th.”

Every single cent raised from Registration Entry fees and donations will go directly to two Donegal Women’s Charities, Donegal Women’s Centre and Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service – DWDVS. The pre-registation starts at the Boathouse at Gartan from 8-9am and the first wave of ladies will leave at 9am. It is anticipated that the last wave will be completed by 1pm. Refreshments will be served afterwards at the Boathouse at Gartan and all spectators are welcome to come along and cheer the ladies on, on Oct 9th.