A Galway man who managed to kick addiction with the help of outdoor activities is embarking on a 5,000km kayaking expedition from Dublin to Istanbul next month in aid of charity.
Johnny Coyne and Liam Cotter will undertake the challenge in aid of Daisy Lodge children’s cancer charity.
Coyne has cycled from Clonbur, in Galway, to the Algarve, in Portugal; walked across Nepal; and cycled more than 7,000 km through eight countries from Canada to Costa Rica.
His hunger for adventure had its origins in an outdoor programme for troubled teens funded and designed through a partnership with Tusla, Foróige and Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board.
Dúshlán (Irish for Challenge) was a nine-month therapeutic adventure-based programme designed for Galway's 15- —to 17-year-olds.
The weekly initiative offered young people the opportunity to experience kayaking and powerboating, as well as other outdoor activities.
“They saw how nature and adventure can be beneficial,” Coyne says of Dúshlán.
“ It was a genius programme which took us out of our comfort zones and enabled us to connect with ourselves,” he says.
Johnny was referred to the Dúshlán programme after his life turned into a world of drink and drug abuse at the age of 15 following the death of his father from a long-term illness.
“In a way, Dad being alive was harder due to his illness; his death brought freedom and grief together, which spiralled into negative behaviour,”he says.
“ My mother was struggling to control me. She contacted Tusla and within days Tusla workers visited the house and introduced me to the course, which I started the following week,”he says.
The nine-month programme is similar to several other initiatives that Tusla is currently running.
“Tusla wants to work in partnership with young people and parents when problems emerge to prevent problems becoming bigger,” Susan Forde, Prevention Partnership and Family Support Manager for Galway, says.
“Tusla also works in partnership with other organisations to co-create the supports and the services young people and parents need to support them to overcome adversity.”
Coyne has turned his love of adventure into a successful business. Following a two-year course, he qualified as an outdoor activity instructor and set up Lough Corrib Adventures, which has grown from two kayaks to 30, plus a sailing boat which takes clients on trips to a nearby island.
Coyne will head off for Istanbul next month and will be joined by Liam Cotter, who works for Johnny’s adventure business and is an accomplished sea kayaker.
The pair have planned a five-month-long trip through 19 countries, across seas, through canals, rivers and estuaries.
“These expeditions are something I needed to do – they gave me time to reflect. I’d be cycling from Canada to Costa Rica, thinking back on my life, and I’d start crying, which was a good thing,” Coyne says.
“Through the adventures, reading books and listening to podcasts, I’m becoming my true self… I’ve turned that wild energy of my teens into a positive,” he says.
“I’ve been to the poorest of places in Nepal and have seen that you don’t need much to be happy. It’s not all about things you can buy; you find true happiness from within,” he says.
“At some stage I’d like to develop a programme like Dúshlán for children and people with mental health problems. There is a way through depression; it’s about finding a purpose; finding a routine, and using things like yoga, journaling, and meditation to relight your spirit. Anyone can lead a happy life,”he says.
Johnny will be posting updates on Instagram (Johnnybgood.1) to keep everyone informed of his and Liam’s progress on their trip.
He is also looking for more sponsors for the trip, and can be contacted at [email protected] and on 087 339 6215.
