Huge turnout for Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk

The annual Offaly Camino Canal way walk took place recently to celebrate St. Brigid's Day Bank Holiday weekend.  The Offaly Camino Canal way committee and friends hosted their 7th Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk sponsored walk in aid of Self Help Africa and, at present, around €20,000  has been raised for the charity's work in Africa with some funds still coming in.

The organisers would like to thank everybody who took part and helped raise funds for Self Help Africa, especially the many participants from many parts of the midlands and beyond and the children from various clubs and schools in Offaly who helped raise funds and walked and especially students and teachers in Scoil Bhride in Croghan who made fantastic St. Brigid's crosses. The event had a great turnout of participants and some extra four-legged friends who completed the 22km walk along the Canal from Tullamore to Croghan with the final few steps up Croghan Hill where St. Brigid's Holy Mass was said by Fr. Greg Corcoran parish priest of Croghan.

Everyone finished the Canal Way Walk in plenty of time to be at mass at 2pm and to celebrate their great achievement of having completed the 7th Annual charity Offaly Canal Camino Way walk in aid of the work of Self Help Africa. The Canal way walk brought the participants through the beautiful countryside admiring the colourful fields and impressive views the Canal way walked from Tullamore to Croghan Hill.

After a long morning everyone reached the last leg of the route making their way through the village of Croghan to the Molloy's House and Peter Moore's farm  where everyone had alovely spread of BBQ food with a much-needed hot soup, hot drinks and burgers as well as chocolate crepes and cold beverages supplied by the Molloy family and residents of Croghan village. 

Laz Molloy and Ronan Scully some of the event's organisers along with his wife Frances and his daughter Aislinn and Fr. Greg represented the cause with heart-warming speeches at the start of the walk and also to finish the day after mass, reinforcing why the day was so important to them and to the work of Self Help Africa and what the money raised would mean for the people and families in Africa they help. Specially said prayers and blessings were said at the Fiona Pender Memorial and The Aisling Murphy Memorial as the walkers walked past along the canal and said quiet prayers at each of the memorials.

Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa thanked all those who had supported the 7th annual charity walk, especially Laz Molloy and his family and all the committee members who organised this Offaly Camino Canal Way walk for the work of Self Help Africa who work in 16 countries in Africa and the developing world. Ronan also thanked the people of all ages who participated in the walk and people and volunteers who helped out in any way to make it such a successful event. A big well done to everyone who supported the walk in any way. 

They are already looking forward to next year where hopefully we can have it on our new date of St. Brigids Bank Holiday weekend followed by Holy Mass!! If you would like to support the work of Self Help Africa or organise a fundraiser for the charities work in 18 countries in Africa and the developing world please contact Ronan at ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org or go to www.selfhelpafrica.org or contact Ronan at (087) 6189094