7 October 2024
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Joey Hurley raises €24,800 for the RNLI in memory of his beloved
uncle, the popular local fisherman, Des Hurley Kinsale teenager Joey
Hurley has been hailed as a hero after making one of the largest ever
donations received by his local RNLI station.
Kinsale teenager Joey Hurley raised €24,800 for the RNLI in memory of his beloved uncle, the popular local fisherman, Des Hurley. Joey is pictured here presenting the cheque to John O’Mahony of Kinsale RNLI with family and supporters.
Picture. John Allen
Joey raised an incredible €24,800 through his Duathlon for Des, a
gruelling challenge he dedicated to the memory of his godfather and
best friend Des Hurley, the much loved fisherman who died at sea in a
tragic accident on 14th December 2023. Appropriately, Joey made his
presentation to the RNLI at the Kinsale memorial in honour of the
brave souls who were lost at sea.
The entire town turned out to support Joey on Saturday 10th August as
he kayaked from the Bulman Bar to James Fort, followed by a 10 km run
from James Fort to Charles Fort and back, finishing with the 1 km
return crossing to the Bulman.
Joey bravely pressed on with his plans despite the recent death of his beloved
nana, well known Bandon woman Helen Gabriel, to whom he also dedicated his
challenge. Joey attributes much of his determination to his friend and personal
trainer Mikey Power of Bfit Bandon, who helped him channel his grief into such
a positive cause.
According to RNLI sources, it costs €1,673 to train a lifeboat crew
member so Joey’s magnificent effort will fund 15 additional crew
members and make a significant contribution to saving lives at sea.
John O’Mahony, a Hurley family friend and Kinsale RNLI volunteer,
said: “Joey is an absolute hero and Des and Nana Helen would be so
proud, as we all are. The volunteer crew in Kinsale can never thank
Joey enough for choosing the RNLI to benefit from his challenge, and
we would also like to acknowledge all the local families and the
fishing communities around the coast of Ireland who contributed
generously to help Joey raise such an amazing sum of money.”