Cuilcagh climb caps challenge in Eden's memory
Image 1 of 3
Noel Fitzpatrick, Lewis Bennett and Gerard Beagan at the viewing platform atop the Stairway to Heaven walkway at Cuilcagh.Image 2 of 3
Stephen Gaffney, one of four men who walked 10km per day for 31 days, making his way up the staircase at Cuilcagh.Image 3 of 3
Noel Fitzpatrick, Stephen Gaffney, Lewis Bennett and Gerard Beggan together with members of the Heaslip family and friends of Eden. The four men walked for 31 days in a row, including Christmas Day.A group of more than 30 friends, family and former colleagues of the late Eden Heaslip climbed Culicagh at the weekend in the young Cavan teen’s memory.
In doing so they also helped complete a challenge to walk a minimum of 10 kilometres every day for 31 days, raising money for SOSAD.
Already close to €7,000 has been raised - online via the Just Giving page ‘10km a day for 31 days’ and through direct cash donations - by organisers Lewis Bennett (Clones), Noel Fitzpatrick (Belturbet), Stephen Gaffney (Cavan Town), and Gerrard Beagan (Clones).
Eden Heaslip had been persistently bullied up until his death by suicide two weeks after his 18th birthday in September 2021.
The Cuilcagh climb capped off what had been an emotional week for everyone connected, after the Heaslips appeared on RTÉ Primetime to tell Eden’s story and, in doing so, touched the hearts of the nation.
Not only that but Galway hurling legend Joe Canning visited the Heaslip’s Crosskeys home, where the family told the Portumna man how a single photograph taken at the National Ploughing Championships three years ago was among their late son’s prized possessions. The four men had intended to begin their 10km per day challenge on December 1, except that two of their number- Noel and Gerard - contracted Covid, delaying their respective starts.
For Lewis, he ran the distance of 10km per day whereas the others walked.
He finished his 31 runs accumulating a distance stretching from Cavan to Cork on New Year’s Eve, December 31.
“We decided to do the last walk with as many people as possible, and to make it a memorable on, by making it to the top of Cuilcagh,” he told The Anglo-Celt.
Noel adds the number who turned up to take part in the Cuilcagh climb on the final day was a measure of the esteem in which Eden was held by all who knew them when he was alive.
“I was his foreman, and he was just joy to work with. The day before an inspection he’d get an awful kick out of seeing a job get signed off and we were told all had been done right. He got a great buzz, that we’d come together and got this over the line.”
Eden’s uncle Ivan also works with Noel, and the young man’s death hit everyone “hard”.
The tragic circumstances and the cause behind the Eden’s death still “hurt” admits Noel.
“He was a star, an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to work with. I think that’s why everyone has felt this, because Eden was such a good young fella, and bullying is such an awful thing to happen.”
Eden’s mum Maggie described the Cuilcagh climb as “emotional”, with so many involved sharing such fond memories of the Heaslip’s son.
She didn’t make it to the top of the walkway but wished everyone well from the base.
“It was emotional, but it was nice. I met up with other walkers, 70 of them from Belfast, and they even knew Eden’s story, and said when they got down they’d donate to SOSAD as well.”
'Overwhelming'
Maggie tells the Celt that the kindness of people has been “overwhelming” at times.
Of Noel, she remembers how Eden often “looked up to him like an older brother”.
She recalls when Eden was applying for his apprenticeship application, an offer for which he received prior to his death, that her son called up Noel for advice.
“A couple of nights before he died, he called Noel. He didn’t know how to word it, and he was so happy he had someone like Noel to call for help. He thought so much of Noel and the people he worked with and it was nice they thought so much of him too.”
The Heaslips family have been promoting a car sticker campaign entitled ‘Be Buddies Not Bullies’ in memory of Eden who was a huge car lover.
Maggie says they hope the publicity surrounding Eden’s tragic death will create awareness and mean that “some other family doesn’t have to go through what we’re going through; that some other child doesn’t have to go through what Eden suffered. We want people to be more aware [of bullying], that’s all we’ll get for him, and it’s all he would have wanted too.”
The JustGiving page - 10km a day for 31 days - will remain open for donations until early next month.