27 May, 2022

MTU staff and students held double celebrations at Kerry and Cork campuses in honour of Dr Karen Weekes' recent solo Atlantic crossing.

This achievement makes Karen the first Irish woman and the 20th woman globally to have rowed an ocean solo while raising €11,400 each for the RNLI and LauraLynn Childrens Hospice.

Karen has been a lecturer with the Department of Health and Leisure MTU since 2004. With a PhD in sports psychology, she works extensively with elite and non-elite athletes, specialising in the endurance genre. Endurance exploits have been a lifelong passion for Karen, including water and land-based journeys, and her Atlantic expedition provided another opportunity to showcase her skills and knowledge.

From Kerry, Karen began her long journey aboard her orange rowboat, Millie, rowing from Gran Canaria accross the Atlantic towards the Americas. After eighty days of manoeuvring the unforgiving winds and towering waves of three continents, she finally reached her destination. On the 24th of February at 6:30 pm Barbadian time, the 3,000 mile-long journey was complete.

This test of courage and resilience has made Karen an inspiration not just in the sporting world but for women across Ireland through the #SheCanDo campaign- encouraging women and girls to push themselves outside their comfort zones. Karen is also bringing awareness to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically gender equality and ocean conservation and sustainability.

President of MTU Prof Maggie Cusack said,“Karen is such an excellent role model and we in MTU are immensely proud of her. In keeping with MTU values, the #SheCanDo campaign aims to encourage women to believe in their ability to succeed both in their work and everyday lives. Karen has a clear message: 'anything is possible when you have self-belief, determination, a plan and progressive goals".

In acknowledgement of her outstanding achievement, Karen received a specially-crafted sculpture by artist and MTU Crawford College of Art and Design graduate, Bernadette Tuite. L-R: Professor Maggie Cusack, President of MTU; Dr Karen Weekes and Mr Jimmy Deenihan, Chairperson of MTU Governing Body.

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