'It's just a day of walking in this beautiful countryside'

Camino calling

When you hear the word Camino, you immediately think of a long walk in the heat of Spain or Portugal. Camino roughly translates to "The Way" and it traditionally followed the route of a pilgrim over many days’ journey. There are many attractions for the thousands of Irish that travel abroad to walk different Caminos around the world. For some it’s spiritual and for others, it’s the physical challenge but for everyone it’s the experience of travelling through beautiful scenery and reconnecting with nature in a way that can only be done while walking.

The Killeshandra Camino route will take walkers on a journey around the picturesque town and its environs and will cover 35.5km on Saturday, June 17. There are five different starting times for walkers going every half hour between 7am and 9am.

The Killeshandra Camino project manager and health and wellbeing officer with the Killieshandra Leaguers, Eileen Gormley, told the Anglo-Celt after doing a number of overseas Caminos she realised that “Cavan has scenery as beautiful as anywhere and Killeshandra has better”.

Some readers may have already walked the Killeshandra Camino in its inaugural walk in 2022 and experienced the hospitality of the Killeshandra community as well as the beauty of the local area. This year it was decided to add a further element to an already wonderful idea.

The Killeshandra Camino Calling group approached the Killeshandra Leaguers GAA club with an innovative new way to support local charities while enjoying a beautiful walk around the lakes and drumlins of Killeshandra.

Each of the 40 GAA clubs in Cavan have been asked to bring a team of four people to do their own Camino on the day.

“Whether you walk 0.5km or 35.5km or do it twice, it’s all between you and the sole of your foot. There’s nobody going to be checking on you or measuring your distance. It’s just a day walking in this beautiful countryside. It's a personal journey and not a race.”

On the route walkers will take through the lakes and drumlins around Killeshandra, they will trek through Killykeen Forest Park.

“This year the final section will be through Killykeen as you come back into Killeshandra. It’s probably a gentler part of the walk, you are in drumlin country and there are a few little hills along the road and little turns but every turn you take there’s a different vista in front of you. It is really beautiful.”

Each walker registers themselves on www.killeshandracamino.ie and pays a €40 fee. That fee covers the cost of the Camino passport, booklet with map and phone numbers for support vehicles, three refreshment stations, a certificate for taking part and a hot meal on your return to Killeshandra. There will be three “giveaways” at various dates prior to June 17 for all who have registered for the Camino.

Each walker is then asked to fundraise a minimum of €125 or €500 per club. 100% of money raised by the clubs/walkers goes to charity, divided equally between SoSad, Cuan Cavan and Irish Motor Neurone Disease.

Any Club that wishes to enter a team is asked to get in touch. People can donate to this here:

www.idonate.ie/event/killeshandracamino

If all 40 Cavan GAA clubs enter a team of four people then the event will raise €20,000 for the three charities.

Cuan is a social support and wellness group that provides psychological and emotional support services for men and women with a cancer diagnosis, their family members and caregivers. It is located in Knappogue House, Tullymongan, Cavan. It's not funded by the HSE and relies on voluntary donations.

Since 2007, SOSAD has worked to raise awareness and help prevent suicide in Ireland. They have worked tirelessly in our communities to help those in need feel supported and know they are not alone on their journey. SOSAD offer support and services for people who are struggling with suicidal ideation, self-harming, depression, bereavement, stress and anxiety, or if you simply need to talk.

The Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association are absolutely vital to families in Ireland whose lives have been affected by Motor Neurone. IMNDA provides support to all those diagnosed by providing advice, information, resources and support to help all with MND and their families.

The Killeshandra Leaguers GAA Club have supported the Camino as part of the GAA Healthy Club initiative. This could be an ideal way for you and some friends to get out and enjoy yourselves, improve your fitness, your mental wellbeing and have some fun while also doing some real good for charity.

The fundraiser has been supported by Cavan GAA with Tony Ryan, the Health and Wellbeing Officer very supportive of the idea. With your support, it could be a fantastic way for our clubs to effectively generate some very substantial funds for deserving local charities.

“Killeshandra has been absolutely brilliant, it takes a village to do anything like this and everyone in the voluntary community in Killeshandra came on board and it’s been absolutely fabulous,” stated Eileen.