Day 1 - May 3rd

What the hell am I doing here I think? It is 10.20 on the morning of the 3rd. May 2008. I am sitting in my car, which has been driven here by my son Brian, I have been up since 6.30, it's miserable and cold looking outside, there is rain, not heavy but persistent driven by a gale force wind. It has been raining for most of our journey from Rostrevor, we have listened to the morning news and weather forecast. Rain and gale force winds along the west coast up to Malin Head.

This is where I am, at Malin Head the most northerly point of our Island. I have left the comfort, love and companionship of my partner Pirjo, her lovely home, and 27 celsius temperatures where I could play golf any day or every day on any of La Manga Club's three magnificent courses, in good company, have a good social life, and no pressure. Perhaps I am a little mad! But I received a phone call just a few days ago from my very good and dear friend Eilis Fitzsimons, to tell me that a mutual friend was going to walk from Malin Head to the other extreme of our Island, Mizen Head and she was walking to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Would I sponsor her? Well of course I would, not only is it for such a good cause but the lady doing the walk was among the party of people who greeted me to Santiago in July 2005 after I had walked from Rostrevor to Santiago de Compostella in Northern Spain. This courageous woman is Patricia Watterson, a retired schoolteacher from Downpatrick.

Anyway my curiosity was aroused, I had Patricia's e-mail so I dropped her a line, when was she starting, who was organising it, how many were going, where were you intending to stay? Reply came back, I am on my own, some friends might join me for a wee bit of the way, my husband Pat is taking the car and drawing a caravan. I will walk during the day and sleep in the caravan at night, I hope to complete the walk in about 4+ weeks. Great to hear from you.

Isn't that something, meet it head on, get in there and have a go! There and then I decided if I can get a reasonable flight home, if Pirjo has no other great plans, I'll head home on the first available flight and I'll walk with her. I have had an ambition to walk the length of Ireland for some time now but I was not thinking of doing it along the roads. I was thinking of the Ulster Way, on to The Tain Way, seeking out a walking route off the roads, There is the Wicklow Way, walking routes all over Ireland. It would take a lot more time to do the length of Ireland on these various walking ways, than the 4+ weeks that Patricia was proposing and I might never do it. Here is a chance to at least walk from one end of Ireland to the other. I'll have a go at it.

Patricia's commitment and courage has inspired me, she is walking to raise funds for a most deserving group of people, who do tremendous work in our community. I know the Marie Curie Cancer Care organisation; who is it in our community who has not been affected by cancer? The Marie Curie Nurses attend the terminaly ill in their own homes, they provide nursing care allowing their patients to pass away as comfortably as possible surrounded by their loved ones, they provide day care centres where patients and family can go and there there are councelors, nursing staff and a doctor in attendance, who can see to it that help is available immediately if required. Wonderful people, a wonderful organisation who provide their services not on the basis of who can afford to pay, but on the basis of need. They are the Home Care Hospice.

I will go, I will walk, I'll do whatever I can to raise funds in support of Patricia's fine effort.

We have arranged to start at 11.00, Patricia, husband Pat and a few friends came up last night, booked into a B&B, some more supporters are coming to see her off. 11.00 iis the arranged time. I have tried to contact her mobile, we are in and out of a signal. I can't reach her. Nothing for it just sit and wait.

A car appears, Southern Reg., a young couple, they get out and scramble away down the rocks. The wind is fierce, I could see it whenever they opened their doors, another car Northern Reg. A huge man gets out, shirt sleeves, reaches into the car immediately and pulls out an anorak. This is my man I think, " Waiting on Patricia?" "Aye" comes the reply. Normally we would engage in conversation but conditions are not conducive to such niceties. "She's on her way" Back into the car. A few minutes later another Northern Reg. car, but again it must be more supporters. Then at last a face I recognise, there she is! Out, a hug, no standing about here, "Let's get a photo taken and get down out of here" I am nearly blown off my feet, but photos of the group are taken. No conversation we must get down into a more sheltered place. I can't wear my hat, wouldn't risk losing it. I have a woollen cap from the Andes with me, pull it over the head and tie the hanging strands of wool. Good job, keeps the head warm and stays on. We start to walk, a slight drizzle. We are into a most perverse wind, blowing almost directly into our face we reach a bend in the road, it will be on our back once we are around the corner. Not a bit of it! Straight into us again, it never gave up all day. We were at least two miles from the start before I was introduced to our fellow walkers. Danny (a most lovable character) Jill his partner, and Claire, who was probably the fastest among us, and full of fun. On we went heads down, on the serious business of reaching Mizzen Head. Danny had a collection box and no car got past without him shaking this box at them. And people stopped! Gave us money and on one occasion went on and turned back having realised what we were about. Where else would you get it, people are so generous, it is really uplifting and makes the effort worthwhile. Patricia and myself are covering our own costs so every penny raised goes directly to Marie Curie.

A considerable way along the road Pat had stopped, with caravan, at a church where he could pull in off the road. A most welcome sight! In, boots off, flask out, cup a soup and a sandwich. A bit of chat and on the road again. So it was until we reached Carndonagh where our 3 companions were to leave us, but not before Danny had gone in to every pub with his box! Some boy, I found out he is a cousin of the McSherry's, music is in his genes! There had been a session the evening before in a local pub and he was made most welcome, his uncle was a lovely man and a renowned accordion player. I know his cousin Bridie, (I think he told me his mother was Bridie McSherry) his cousin Peter, who I met so often playing golf and his other cousin who had the Billiards Club. Also a very fine musician and singer.

Hugs and kisses in the Diamond of Carndonagh and Patricia and I continue our Journey. We pass a sign 32k to Derry, yippee, we carry on for at least another 3k, Derry is in our reach on the morrow.

We stop at a derelict house with a junction on the right and here is the faithful Pat, he has parked the caravan at Quigleys Point and there is also a small hotel there, he has checked it out they have a room at a reasonable price. It will do me well.

All I need is a luxurious soak in a bath, a g&t at my side, a good feed, maybe a little wine and a good nights rest. First day over but now I know I can do it! There is always a little trepedation, I am 3 years older than my last big walk, I have not prepared for this walk, I have walked so little lately, the last time I was out I fell twice on my way down Lion Mountain, the second fall was sore, I hurt a finger and suffered an injury to my right shoulder, which still troubles me greatly. But I fell confident today that I can complete this walk. However the day is not yet complete we arrange to have a meal together, Patricia has no notion of cooking or allowing Pat to cook this evening, it has been a long hard day, we will eat in Foody's Hotel this evening and talk about how we proceed from here. As yet I haven't really talked to Pat or Patricia about the walk, we must sort out how we will proceed.

We have a nice dinner together and during the meal I produce a book I have been reading lately, 'Benedictus' by John O'Donohue. " I have that book" exclaims Patricia and goes on to tell me that John O'Donohue passed away about 3 months ago, she had watched his requiem mass on tv, and later a documentary on his life. 'My anam cara' did I know it? Of course, a wonderful book, a beautiful man, a marvellous mind, we were privileged to be able to read him. And so it went, however on the previous evening I had marked a few passages which I thought were so relevant to our current undertaking and I passed them over to Patricia to read. They were:- and I quote "When you travel, A new silence Goes with you, And if you listen, You will hear What your heart Would love to say. A journey can become a sacred thing." And again another one from " A blessing for a Nurse Again I quote "Your mind knows the world of illness The fright that invades a person Arriving in out of the world, Claimed and grieved by illness. How it can strip a life of its joy, Dim the light of the heart Put shock in the eyes. You see worlds breaking at the onset of illness." And the last verse of this blessing. "May you never doubt the gifts you bring. Rather, learn from these frontiers Wisdom for your own heart. May you come to inherit The blessings of your kindness And never be without care and love When winter enters your own life" And that is Patricia's and my blessing and all those people who have benefited from the nursing care of Marie Curie Cancer Care, on all those wonderful people who do so much to help ease a terrible affliction on so many families.

I go to bed contented, I am doing the right thing.

Day 2 - May 4th

The kitchen in the hotel doesn't start until 9.00am! But we are in Donegal. There are facilities in the room, I can make coffee and they have left up, wheat a bix, milk and a sandwich. Which I will take with me for later. Pat and Patricia pick me up at 8.30 and we head for yesterdays finish. We have put on our wet gear, it is wet but not windy. We are on the road by 9.00. We walk steadily, 'Like Indians coming in for the dole' as Eileen would say when reciting her poem about the old Galway woman. We make good progress, shortly after 11.00 we reach Quigley's Point, Pat has coffee ready for us, relief to take off the wet gear and the boots. It looks like it probably will clear, it has been wet and sticky with the gear, I take off wet suit trousers and a vest, feeling a lot better we hit the road again refreshed. No conversation, even if we wished it would be unwise to walk side by side, a lot of traffic, moving fast. We had covered about 12-13k before our first stop. Muff is our next objective. Just before we reach there Peter, (my son) together with Brennain, Tiernan, and Oisin pull up in the car. No delay they are ready to walk. We'll stop at the first pub in Muff and have the craic there. Fortunately we are now on generous hard shoulders, no way could we have let the children walk earlier. Brennain has been with me on the Camino for two weeks last year, I was proud of him then, he mixed well and was so willing. A good walker, he is doing a Duke of Edinburgh Award this year. Starts next week I think in Tollymore Forest, Co. Down. Into the pub, coffees and cokes, the owner on finding out what we are about sends over a donation! Earlier a man brushing up in front of his house gave Patricia a donation. You can't beat them!

We talk about getting radio coverage and also local papers. Peter is going to try. Hopefully something will come out of it. Out of the pub and on we go, 10k the sign says to Derry. Let's go. Two hours later we are crossing the Craigavon Bridge. Patricia stops in an Internet Cafe to await Pat's arrival, I walk on as far as The Everglades Hotel. Patricia will walk to here in the morning and then we will carry on.

It has been a good days walking for the pair of us. 30+k, the company of my son and grandchildren. I am ready for bed, hopefully I can get on line.