'Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk' from Tullamore to Croghan hill proves a great success

THE annual Offaly Camino Canal way walk took place on Saturday last, January 31, to celebrate St. Brigid's Day Bank Holiday weekend.

The Offaly Camino Canal way committee and friends hosted their 9th Offaly Camino Canal Way Walk sponsored walk in aid of Self Help Africa.

At present close on €18,000 has been raised for the charity's work in Africa particularly for a project in Malawi for a children's nutrition programme 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.

The event had a great turnout of participants and some extra four-legged friends who completed the 20km walk along the Canal from Tullamore to Croghan with the final few steps up Croghan hill where a beautiful and reflective St. Brigid's Holy Mass was said by Fr. Joe Deegan, parish priest of Clara.

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Everyone finished the Canal Way Walk in plenty of time to be at Mass at 1.30pm and to celebrate their great achievement of having completed the event.

The canal way walk brought the participants through beautiful countryside around Tullamore, Ballycommon and Daingean.

Thanks to Buggys Coaches for ferrying people back to Tullamore after the walk and thanks to Aidan and Vanessa Shortall of Up Close and Personal Promotions for providing facilities at the start of the walk and on Croghan hill.

Thanks also to the staff of Tullamore Credit Union for providing water and refreshments along the canal, to Ballycommon Bake house and Ballycommon GAA for providing facilities and teas and coffees, to Seery's in Dangan for sandwiches and teas and coffees, to the Molloy family, their neighbours and friends in Croghan, to Peter Moore for providing a huge barbecue and refreshments on Croghan hill and to Fr. Greg and Fr. Joe and the sacristan for organising the facilities for the Mass.

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Laz Molloy and Ronan Scully some of the event's organisers along with Fr. Joe represented the cause with heart-warming speeches at the start of the walk and also to finish the day during and 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.

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 and laid special bouquets of flowers at each of the memorials.

Ronan Scully of Self Help Africa thanked all those who had supported the walk, especially all the committee members Laz Molloy, Siobhan Kelly, Nora Kavanagh, Aislinn Molloy, Vanessa Shortall, Tracey Dooley, Paul Galvin, Ricey Scully, the Molloy Family, TY student Ollie Dooley and their friends and neighbours, Seamus Moore, Mark Plunkett and everyone who helped out in anyway.

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.

They are already looking forward to next year which will be the walk's 10th anniversary where hopefully we can have it on 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 charity's work in 10 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.