Days 16 to 23 - May 18th to 24th

Friday Evening 23rd May

I have just returned from the village of Ballydehob where I had an excellent dinner in 'Annies'. A most interesting establishment, the patrons, for the greater part, come across the road from a pub called Lesleys? Either that or they come into Annies and then go over to the pub, to return whenever their meal is ready. It's a really friendly establishment, a genuine 'Cead Mile Failte' welcome and treatment. I enjoyed my dinner, fish soup and then roasted cod. Normally I only take a main course but I needed warming up this evening, hence the soup.

Patricia and I have walked circa 2-3k past Ballydehob, tomorrow we could be on our final journey to Mizen Head. I reckon we have no more than 31k to walk. We have been walking 30+k every day for over a week now. Patricia still thinks she will finish on Sunday, either way I intend to travel home on Sunday. Provided I am home by Sunday night, I could do a lot of things on Monday and return to La Manga and Pirjo by next weekend. Pirjo has already booked me, at my request, to play with the residents on Sunday next!

I am anxious to see my Auntie Anne, her birthday was earlier this month, 'I'm 94 you know, I was the youngest and I'm the last, God has been good to me.' Auntie Anne had been in hospital for around five weeks and earlier in the week moved out to Avilla Nursing Home. She is a wonderful lady, always so thoughtful and caring of others. Herself and another of my father's sisters Auntie Mamie came over to look after the O'Callaghan children when we lived in Carrickfergus, it was in the forties, our mother was seriously ill in hospital and my dad needed help. It was readily and warmly given.

My sister, also called Anne, probably after Auntie Anne, has been extremely caring of our Aunt. Herself and husband Carl have looked after her for years, seeing how she was, looking after the washing and all those general items, and when she was fit taking her to Dundalk to collect her pension, taking her shopping. You name it they did it. With their help and with the help of the kindest and most caring of neighbours, Brian and Elizabeth Sloan, for example, looked in on her each morning and evening, the neighbours from the top of the road called in to visit and see how she was on a regular basis, Auntie Anne has managed to live on her own and maintain her independence. Her son Anthony travels a lot and whenever he is in Ireland he lives in Dublin. Of course my Aunt would never agree to leave Omeath. Omeath has been her home for many many years now. She retired to Omeath very soon after her sister Mamie came to live there, to be joined later by another sister Dollie. Her mother, my paternal grandmother was originally from Omeath and they had all spent many happy summers there as young girls. She now needs 24 hour care, it's sad her independence is gone and I know despite the kindest and most caring attention she wants to be in her own home, but that is no longer possible.

Back to the walking! We could finish tomorrow, 3 weeks to the day whenever we set out. Patricia has been walking really strongly for at least the last 7 days; 30+k per day. Three two hour stretches per day. I know we have been walking at 6k-5.5k per hour each day. Patricia really suffered earlier with her feet and to get up and go, during those painful times, on the last 2 hour stretch required a great deal of self-determination, will power, and sheer grit. As she says herself, she gerned a bit but got up and did it. More power to her!

We have had only one seriously bad day, I think two days ago, we were both soaked through, and when we met later neither of us had warmed up despite hot baths and showers! The cold had permeated our bones. We stayed in a B&B and the landlady had washed and dried our clothes for us.

Pat had rejoined us a few days ago and Nuala had gone off to visit a daughter, living in Kildare, she will be with us again tomorrow.

She was terrific, with no experience of trailers or caravans, she had fitted her car with a tow bar and came down to support Patricia. She moved and set up the caravan, and looked after us on the road. A wonderful back-up and support.

We had a second visit from Danny and Jill, they walked with us and cheered us up for two days and they return again tomorrow! That is being supportive!

Claire and Terry are also coming tomorrow. Hopefully they will arrive in time to walk quite a bit of the way with us.

I also have friends coming out to support us - Eddie and Eleanor Morey. Friends from way back when our children were very small and we used meet in Kilkee on holidays. We have visited each other in our homes. It is a long, warm friendship.

Eddie is a fine singer and guitar player, a good man to get a session going.

So tomorrow night, whether we finish tomorrow or not, is session night, the venue has yet to be arranged. If we have not completed the walk we can stagger the last few kilometres on Sunday morning. We are only about 31k from the finish now. Even 4 hours walking tomorrow will leave a very short day on Sunday.

And we are in Munster! Big match tomorrow, final of the Heineken Cup, there will be celebrations all over. I think they will win, good luck to them anyway!

I never managed to get any of the above away, getting on line has proved to be very difficult. Most hotels have email facilities but I type on my own laptop, getting on line with it has caused problems, I have copied on to a CD and transferred it, I have also managed to get on line via wireless, very often from the lounge of the Hotel, not from my bedroom, I haven't come across a guest house yet with facilities, and to top it all I have been tired at night. I don't have the energy to persist in getting emails away. I have a bath or shower, I eat, have a few glasses of wine and I'm ready for an early night.

Although I have already skipped a few days, for chronological correctness I will backtrack to Day 16 of our journey.

Day 16 - May 18th

Nuala and Patricia had travelled on to Adare on the previous evening with the caravan, where they spent the night. The evening before we had stopped at a junction off the N7 for Castleconnell and now we are again at this junction where we start our days walk at around 8.45.

We are probably about 12k from Limerick and we arrange for our first stop to be at a roundabout on the edge of the city where we will turn and head towards Cork.

Our second leg of the journey takes us along a footpath and cycle track sign posted for Cork and Limerick Regional Hospital. We never actually passed the Hospital despite the number of times we saw the signs for it. It was tough hard going, monotonous, along an extremely dirty littered footpath. Should any councillor from Limerick ever read this, please take heed, the litter was terrible, it creates a very bad impression of the city. A city that has recently earned a reputation for violent death, drug fuelled feuds and general mayhem. It must be cleaned up, the council must show a lead. People have no respect for a place that is littered. Yes, the people are those doing the littering, but while it is left in its current state people will continue to throw papers, bottles, and cartons, even broken bicycles! It's all there to be seen. At least this walking is reasonably safe and we make good progress along the hard shoulder of the carriageway.

We walk again 30+k and are past Croom whenever Nuala collects us and ferries us back to Adare. We did not anticipate any problem getting accommodation for me, since the Irish Golf open was due to finish that day. But problems we had and it took a little while before I was settled. It turned out to be a great choice, Tontine, a B&B owned and run by Eileen Enright. A very charming lady, who made me very welcome, dried my washing, gave me a good breakfast in the morning and sandwiches to take on our first break. Then when I went to pay, she said just give it to the Marie Curie Cancer Care. Could you beat that! 40 euros has duly been given to Patricia for the fund, but it's more than money it's a booster, a morale raiser. May God reward you Eileen.

The inimitable Danny and Jill have driven down to walk with us for the next two days, great to see them again, we'll have a nice meal together in that most picturesque village, Adare, which is buzzing, big crowds, holiday atmosphere. Not only has the Irish Open been held here but we are also in the middle of a village festival. It couldn't get any better!

Day 17 - May 19th

Our next sizeable town is Charleville, and although we are on a major road between Cork and Limerick the road is narrow and walking again becomes difficult. However we make good progress, the weather is fair and with Danny and Jill to support us we again cover the 30+k finishing just beyond Buttevant at a grotto, where a lady, I assume a nun from her dress, was tidying up, weeding and arranging some flowers. Earlier we had crossed into County Cork, which gave rise to a few cheers and an uplifting of spirits. We can now see and feel journeys end!

I stay in the Charleville Park Hotel, while the others return to Adare. Pat is returning tomorrow, he will bring the caravan forward, Nuala, will go to visit a daughter in Kildare and hopefully have a well earned rest after her endeavours with the caravan and her administrations to Patricia and myself.

We all go into the hotel for a drink and while there we meet a member of staff, (may well have been a manager), a lovely lassie, originally from Cong, married and living locally, Claire Convoy to her maiden name. Personality just oozed out of her, you were immediately comfortable in her company; a great asset to anyone in the hospitality business.

Anyway the hotel is new, looks terrific, pleasant staff, should do very well, BUT they will have to serve fresh vegetables. I had chicken stuffed with something that looked and tasted like black/white pudding. It was beautiful, however the vegies were not up to scratch. Wettish cauliflower, broccoli, even carrots, the only crisp vegetable were a couple of young corn.

We should complain and normally I would but I had had my usual couple of glasses of wine and I was ready for bed.

I didn't have time the next morning I rushed out to the car and on the road to Buttevant, to start yet another day. We have only taken one rest day!

Day 18 - May 20th

With steady walking we make it to Mallow before we stop for our first break. Again the weather smiles on us and the hills that I had anticipated have not materialised. The walking itself is not so arduous it is the constant traffic and the never-ending need to be vigilant which wears you down and tires you out.

We change our carers at our second stop of the day, Pat has arrived with caravan in tow and Nuala will leave us on the morrow to go to Kildare to visit her daughter.

We head for Creans Cross - I assume it is named after the Antarctic explorer Tom Crean, who comes from a village called Annascaul, which is quite close to our current route. After serving in the British Royal Navy and having taken part in 3 Antarctic explorations Tom Crean retired and married a local girl, they had a pub called 'The South Pole' in Annascaul. There were 3 girls to the marriage but one died while still very young. I sincerely hope this cross roads is named for him, he was a great traveller and explorer who never got the recognition he deserved. He was on two of Scott's expeditions and also on Shackelton's fateful expedition, on which he was one of only a few survivors, he is recorded as having made a trek of 35 miles and 19 hours, across an Antarctic terrain without a sleeping bag and with only a couple of bars of chocolate in him, returning to his two companions with a rescue squad: a truly remarkable man.

We don't actually reach the crossroads but our day finishes quite close. To get accommodation we have to head to Blarney where I stay in the Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel. Pat manages to get into a campsite in Blarney and Nuala also books into the Hotel. We have a relaxing dinner together.

Day 19 - May 21st

We catch sight of Nuala just before we leave to start our day, she says she is going to have a leisurely breakfast and then set out for Kildare.

Our route takes us through Coachford then over the Inniscarra Reservoir to Crookstown. I am reminded that I heard how the saying'By Hook or by Crook' came into the English language. Apparently when Cromwell was coming to Ireland there was a fierce storm and the ship's captain is reported as saying 'I'll get you in by Hook or by Crook', referring of course to two inlets on Corks West Coast. How different our history might have been if he had failed to land!

There is a flood of water at the start of the bridge over the Inniscarra and I watch as Patricia, in sandals still, tiptoes along the middle of the road.

From Crookstown we take a secondary road which will take us past Bealnablath. A spot well known to every Irishman. It is of course the scene of the ambush where, probably the greatest Irishman ever, Michael Collins, lost his life. We stop at the monument to Michael and take some photographs before continuing on the road towards Enniskean. Again despite the terrible conditions all day we manage our 30+k.

Pat has found a B&B where he can park the caravan for the night, the lady of the house takes our wet clothes, washes and dries them for us and there is a radiator in the room! Luxury indeed.

Day 20 - May 22th

Today we go through Enniskean, on to Ballynacarriga, Currackalicky, and on past Drinagh. Again we make excellent time, the foul weather has gone and we can again walk in comfort, except of course for the traffic, that is an ever present threat.

An Ras arrived in Skibbereen today, there is no accommodation to be had anywhere in town, the lady at the West Cork Hotel was very patient and most obliging, she manages to get me fixed up at Casey's of Baltimore, a bit out of the way for Pat but there is no alternative.

It proved to be an excellent choice, I had good accommodation and an excellent meal. Pat and Patricia have a campsite in or around Skibbereen.

After my meal I chat to a couple, he was 86 and she 78, looking like teenagers. English, retired to a retirement village outside of Milltown, Co. Cork. He has just had a week on 'The Lord Nelson' Sailing ship, sailing around the Canaries. Sounds exciting, there is a permanent crew but the 'land lubbers' do the work, i.e. all the work, taking their watch and the wheel in their turn, as they would have done in the age of sail.

Whenever you are over 70 you are treated as someone with a disability and you must have a buddy with you. His buddy was his 15-year-old grandson. It sounded good and he was enthusiastic. It caters for people with disability, provides the challenge. I might try it, we'll see, I intend to take it easy for a while after this trip, but you never know.

Day 21 - May 23th

Let's see how far we get today! We are past Drinagh. The weather is favourable and we set out strongly, our first stop of the day at a petrol station on the N71 just short of Skibbereen. We walk on and stop for the night just past Balldehob where I find a B&B quite close to our stopping point. It's about 2k to town where I will go for my dinner but sure it's only a biteen of a walk!

I was cold that night, no heating, no lovely warm radiator, no writing, I just had to get into bed and curl up. In the restaurant, already mentioned, Annies, I had declined to take off my coat. Not that the restaurant was not warm but I had gotten a chill into my bones.

Day 22 - May 23th

This could be our last day, Mizen is reachable, but Patricia is expecting people who will join us on the final push, we will go as far as Goleen and leave 11-12k to complete on Sunday. That's what we do and as we pass Toormore I go into the B&B I have booked for the night. A terrific house, a wonderful hostess, Margaret Whitley, two sons Jason and Keith and husband George. We are made welcome but refuse refreshments, we have recently eaten. 50 yards away there is a restaurant 'The Altar,' apparently the name of the townland, and we have booked it for 10 people this very evening. We intend to have a session tonight! Munster are playing in the Heinaken Cup Final later in the day, we are finishing our walk on the morrow, cause, if any were ever required, to have a session. We finish early in Goleen, Pat returns me to Sea Front, Toormore and himself and Patricia head for Barleycove where the caravan has been parked. We are to meet at around 7.00

Very shortly after a reg Cork car pulls into the yard, it's Eddie and Eleanor my Cork friends from way back. From the days of summer holidays with young families in Kilkee, Co Clare. A lovely couple, the sort that on first meeting you know, these people are genuine. And so they have proved to be over the years.

I do not wish to repeat what I have said earlier, simply let me say we had a great evening, Eddie is as good as ever he was, he kept the evening and the craic going, we also had singers from the clientele of the restaurant, the management gave us a bottle of red and one of white and then to top it all opened a bottle of bubbly!

We all finished the evening in high spirits and of course Munster had a tremendously hard fought win earlier in the day! Wow! It's all going for us.

Day 23 - May 24th

There's a little bit of a mix up the following morning, we are coming from Toormore to Goleen and the others from Barleycove, but is it 10.00 or 10.30. No sign of anyone at 10.00, it must be 10.30. We'll drive the road we are to walk and see how things are. Just as we arrive at the carpark at Mizen Head a car I recognise passes us, it's my own car! My son Brian has left home shortly after 4.00 in the morning to come to collect me, as I am fully intent on returning home today. We greet Brian, he is going to curl up in the car and try to catch up on some sleep.

We return to Goleen to find our walking party and just after 10.30 we set out on the final stretch of our journey.

Spirits are high, no sign of any hangovers, we make good time. It is bright and breezy, but the breeze is on our back for a pleasant change and helps to keep us cool. We top the final rise and spy Mizen Head Interpretative Centre ahead of us, cheers, hugs for Patricia, cameras clicking away. It is quite emotional. We make our way into the Centre and pass along the building and out towards the bridge. There are steps or a winding path down towards the bridge, we choose the path and Patricia gingerly steps out on to the bridge to cross over a chasm separating the land from a promontory of rock jutting out into the Atlantic. We go as far as it is possible to walk along a pathway on this rock until finally we can go no more. We have truly completed our walk, Malin Head Ireland's and Donegal's most northerly point to Mizen Head in Cork the most Southerly point on this our island! Well done Patricia, a brilliantly conceived idea, I hope it raises a lot of money for a most deserving group of people, to whom we are all indebted, Marie Curie Cancer Care!

So I will end this journey with the final verse of John O'Donaghue's 'Blessing For A Traveller' thankful that no one has been injured on the walk, delighted that I have done it and well pleased knowing that my presence has been a source of encouragement and comfort to a most courageous lady. God bless you Patricia!

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home, more refreshed, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.