Myles Henaghan and his wife Eithne Sweeney
pictured with their parents at Old Head on Sunday

An Irish couple have completed a 15,000 mile sailing expedition from New Zealand to their home county of Mayo.

The Mayo News reports that Myles Henaghan and his wife Eithne Sweeney arrived at Old Head near Louisburgh pier shortly after 8pm last Sunday, ten months after they set sail from Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand.

Over 300 people gathered on the pier to welcome home the sea voyagers to mark the completion of their journey of over 15,000 nautical miles, which began last September.

“It was like Christmas, a wedding and a school reunion all rolled into one,” a post about the homecoming read on their blog.

Originally from Co. Mayo, the couple have been living in Auckland, New Zealand since 2007.

“Myles had a dream,” Eithne said, “and I was up for the challenge. We got on great … in the confines of the boat ... I can’t tell a lie. We had our moments but y’know, you just have to talk when it’s only the two of you.”

“You’ve nowhere to go,” Myles said. “You have to talk, and we did. Seriously though, I had the best team mate you could wish for.”

The couple completed their voyage in a 5-foot cruising yacht called ‘Ashling’. They plan to holiday in Ireland for the next six weeks and sell the 11-tonne French-built yacht before they return to New Zealand.