In a historic first for the Atlantic Youth Trust, €15,000 has been donated in the memory of Adrian Ryan in order to provide 15 years of bursaries for young teens who ordinarily would not have the opportunity to access youth development tall ship voyages.
The generous donation was facilitated by Adrian’s brother Joe Ryan, retired Irish Coast Guard official, following the sale of a beatiful Ford RS 2000 that his brother Adrian had been restoring prior to his passing earlier this year.
Speaking about this donation Joe Ryan said: “I have been a long supporter of the Atlantic Youth Trust and for me and my family the thought that Adrian’s memory will live on for the next 15 years is heartwarming. Spending time at sea as a teenager can have a profound impact on a young person's life.”
The Bursary stipulates that €1,000 will be made available for a teenager from a city centre school in Dublin or Belfast under the ‘Adrian Ryan Bursary’. Adrian and Joe both attended C.B.S. Westland Row and it is hoped that students from that school will benefit in the years ahead. This will allow for approximately 10 days of voyaging per annum, over the coming 15 years.
Atlantic Youth Trust’s Neil O’Hagan added: “The long term sustainability of any youth development tall ship trust is in its ability to provide access for all young people regardless of means or ability. In order to do so financial support is essential whether it be public funds, private, philanthropic, corporate or legacy donations.”
“This incredibly generous donation and the ‘Adrian Ryan Bursary’ is the first of its kind for the Atlantic Youth Trust. We hope, as is the case with many charities close to people's hearts, that it will be the first of many.”
Both the Irish and Northern Irish Government’s have formally committed to the Atlantic Youth Trust’s plans for a new tall ship to be run along the same structure as the highly successful Spirit of Adventure Trust in New Zealand. Prior to the new vessel being commissioned, the bursary will be used to place youths on other ships.
