Sponsored 105-mile run in memory of loved Joe

Sponsored 105-mile run in memory of loved Joe

2 April 2025

THE family of former Portaferry man Joe Breen are taking part in a sponsored run from the loughside town to Ballycastle in support of two charities.

The June 24 event will see members of the Breen family run 105 miles to raise funds for Community Rescue Services and Friends of the Cancer Centre.

Sadly, Mr Breen passed away last year after a short battle with cancer.

The fundraiser is taking place on the first anniversary of his death and will be spearheaded by his daughter, Sarah, and son, Joe.

Sarah is also running in next month’s Belfast Marathon and with just under three months before Joe’s family and friends set off from Portaferry slipway, the £5,000 fundraising target has been surpassed.

Mr Breen was a Portaferry RNLI crew member for many years and it’s hoped some of his former colleagues will set the fundraisers on their way.

His family say the run is raising funds for two incredible charities that were deeply connected to him.

He was also a founder member of Community Rescue Service which is dedicated to high risk missing persons, while nurses at Belfast City Hospital’s Cancer Centre provided the former Portaferry man with exceptional care and support to him and the Breen family during his final weeks. 

The Breen family say staff went beyond medical care, making possible a joint legal wedding ceremony in the hospital for both Sarah and Mark and Joe and Louisa on Joe’s birthday on June 3 last year.

“Their compassion helped us through an unimaginable time and we want to give back so other families can receive the same support,” said the family.

As June 24 last year marked his final hours with them, a year on the family want to challenge themselves physically and mentally in his memory “honouring his strength, resilience, and love for the sea.”

They add: “This run is about remembering him, supporting two causes close to his heart and ensuring his legacy lives on.

“We would love your support, donations, and encouragement as we take on these challenges in his honour. Every step we take will be for Joe Breen Snr OBE.”

Last year, a new survey vessel operated by a major government department was named in memory of the former Portaferry man in recognition of the several organisations committed to saving lives including Portaferry RNLI, the Coastguard and the Community Rescue Service (CRS) of which he was a founder member.

Members of his family, ex-colleagues and friends joined Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) minister Andrew Muir at Belfast Marina in Abercorn Basin for renaming the Department’s new survey vessel the ‘Joe Breen’.

Mr Breen was a much-loved and highly respected member of the DAERA Marine and Fisheries team with a career spanning over 30 years in the Civil Service, primarily in the field of marine conservation and environmental protection. 

Having heard of his work from both officials and stakeholders, particularly the Rathlin islanders, Mr Muir made the decision that the new DAERA boat would be named after Joe.

“It is most fitting that this new and innovative survey vessel is named after Joe, who spearheaded innovation in marine survey for so many years. Joe also pioneered the work on the first marine conservation zones around Northern Ireland,” he said at the time.

“Joe had that special gift of bringing complex science to life with other scientists and the public alike through pictures, radio and television.”

Mr Muir said he was pleased that Joe’s efforts both within the Department and in his expansive volunteering with Community Rescue, RNLI, the Naval Reserve and in other areas were recognised in October 2023 when he was awarded an OBE for services to marine science and to environmental protection.

“Joe was an exceptional officer and leaves a strong legacy of innovation in the many scientists that he worked with in the Department. It is so appropriate that this beautiful survey catamaran is also now part of that legacy,” added Mr Muir.

Mr Breen is remembered for his invaluable work in marine conservation and has been described as “an extremely committed champion for nature” who had “a deep love and passion for the sea”.

He graduated from Queen’s University with an Honours degree in Zoology and three years worked for the Ulster Museum as a diver/scientist.

For the following three years, he was deputy manager of the Exploris aquarium in Portaferry before joining a marine consultancy firm.

Next stop was the Northern Ireland Civil Service where Mr Breen headed up teams, including one set up to investigate the horse mussel beds on Strangford Lough.

He was a former helmsman at Portaferry RNLI and a former member of Ballycastle Coastguard Rescue Team, with his interests included diving, underwater photography and power boating.

When he was in Ballycastle he became a founding member of the Community Rescue Service and also served as a board member for Ulster Wildlife.

To make a donation and read more about the Breen family’s fundraising 

run visit the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com and search for ‘Charity Run in Memory of Joe Breen Snr OBE’.