South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association Blog

'Spellga Dam' in Mourne Mountains  and 'Dwyers Rock' in Wicklow Mountains

Download: Brochure (.pdf file)

Mountain Rescue Ireland (the organisation which oversees the twelve Mountain Rescue teams in Ireland) is holding two fundraising abseils on Saturday 28th July, 2012.

One is at Spelga Dam in the Mourne Mountains, County Down and the other is at Dwyer's Rock in County Wicklow. This is the first time that MRI has gone down the abseil route in fundraising terms, and we are very fortunate to have secured the first ever access for public abseil down the iconic Spelga Dam and the Wicklow abseil is from Dwyer's Rock, where the panoramic views are simply stunning!

If you're in tune with the great outdoors and enjoy your fresh air laced with good sized bursts of adrenalin, then look no further than the Mountain Rescue Ireland 2012 Abseil Events!

 Saturday 28th July is your chance to become an MRI 'Dambuster' or 'RockStar'...and raise money for an organisation that one day might save your life!


Get family and friends to sponsor you for an experience that will rock your world. Whether you already like to swing at the weekends, or are contemplating your first ever vicarious vault into the void, don't hang about - places are strictly limited!

It's great doing it in groups, and age is no barrier!

Registration
Registration is online at www.eventelephant.com/dambusters for the Mournes Abseil and www.eventelephant.com/rockstars personal fundraising pages can be set up at www.mycharity.ie/charity/mountain_rescue_ireland

Contact Details
Abseils will take place from 9am 'til 5pm on Saturday 28th July, and those taking part will be notified in advance of their time slot. For more information, contact Mountain Rescue Ireland Fundraising Officer Sharon Power - Tel (087) 2590290 or (085) 722 8164 or email fundraising@mountainrescue.ie

A date for your diaries... Saturday 9th June... Kingsyard to Galtymore. Great walking, Great craic afterwards and half the proceeds raised go to SEMRA.

Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Patrician Year Cross on Galtymore.

Mark the 9th of June 2012 into your diary and come and join us in celebrating this event with a walk to Galtymore from Kingsyard and barbecue and music on your return to Kingsyard. A plaque to commemorate the 50th Anniversary will be unveiled at 1.30pm in Kingsyard with the walk starting at 2pm from Kingsyard to Galtymore. There will be a BBQ on return (catering by ECO Bus Café) and music provided by Ballyduff Comhaltas from 7.00pm.

We would be grateful if you would log your interest in attending the event so we arrange the appropriate catering. You can log your interest by calling one of the numbers below.

A GREAT DAY AND NIGHT ASSURED!!!!

All proceeds going to Charities SEMRA and Bru Columbanus Cork.

Enquiries to:
025 84903
087 6573276
086 1945585

On Monday February 15th 2010, SEMRA received a donation of €911 from a group it assisted in the Galty Mountains last October. Following their rescue, Carrigtwohill Foroige wondered how they could thank SEMRA for their hard work in locating them on the night. The old hill-walking saying comes to mind "if at first you get lost, get back up that mountain" and that’s what they did, organising a sponsored walk up Galtymore. So the group joined four SEMRA members on a return visit to the Galtys, after which the money raised was presented to SEMRA Chairperson, Irene Codd, in the Mountain Lodge Youth Hostel in Glengarra Wood. The youth group was given a guided tour of SEMRA’s new command and control vehicle, “Sierra Victor”, which had its first operational outing on the the night in October. SEMRA would like to thank Carrigtwohill Foroige for their hard work and look forward to meeting them again.

The sun came out on Saturday June 20th, for SEMRA's annual Waterford street collection, a pleasant change from last year when it bucketed down for the whole day. As so often before, the people of Waterford were very generous indeed to their local, voluntary, Mountain Rescue team. SEMRA could not exist without the funds raised at our flag days, and the kind words of support received are very much appreciated. SEMRA is grateful to An Garda Siochana, Waterford City Council, and its friends in the local media who helped to get the word out, also we acknowledge our colleagues in the Search And Rescue Dogs Association, who took time out of a busy training weekend to come and help on the day.

SEMRA will hold two flag days in Clonmel on the last weekend of this month, the 31st of October and the 1st of November. Many team members come from the Clonmel/South Tipperary area and SEMRA is hoping to raise much needed funds for the upkeep of the two vehicles and rescue equipment located in Clonmel. Chairman of the team, Michael Power said "the vehicles in Clonmel play a vital, life-saving role in the team's operations. For the last number of years, we have had two vehicles, a 4x4 and a control vehicle, stationed in the Civil Defence yard which allows the team a very quick response time to any incident in the Clonmel area and beyond". He thanked Civil Defence for providing the parking spaces. He went on to say "as we don't have a permanent base, I would also like to thank the Chief Fire Officer in Clonmel for allowing the team to use the Fire Training Centre for meetings and training courses. On behalf of the SEMRA team, and especially the members from the Clonmel area, I would like to thank the Clonmel people, many of them hill walkers with the local Peaks Mountaineering Club, for their ongoing support". As a voluntary organisation, SEMRA relies on donations from the public and hill walking clubs. An annual grant from the Government covers around a quarter of SEMRA's yearly running costs.

SEMRA would like to thank everyone who supported its flag day, held in Dungarvan last Friday, 29th August 2008. SEMRA is grateful to the Media for publicising the day, and to all the hillwalkers and people who once again made this into a huge success. For supporting the Team and the vital role it plays in providing a life-saving service to the people of the South East and beyond, Thank You.