Message of Hope
The Good Life with Gemma Good.
Darkness Into Light brought a large crowd of people out across Ireland last Saturday morning. Cavan Town was no different. Last year's walk surpassed the 3000-participant mark, and I would predict that this year was in or around the same. The morning was magical, as it always is. Hail, rain or shine, doing Darkness Into Light is always a very special experience.
As my alarm blared at 3am on Saturday morning, I thought, for a split second, about not doing the walk. As my mind exited the delirium of the early hour, I found my yellow t-shirt and made my way into Cavan Institute, where several cars already lined the streets. Yellow t-shirts quickly strode along the park, which was decorated with fairy lights and tea lights. A few near late comers like myself but we made it. I took some pictures of participants and listened to the Chairperson of Darkness Into Light Cavan speak to the crowd before her. Fiona Corby began her speech by telling the crowd that she was unapologetically going to cry. I had spoken to Fiona the previous day about her nomination for Volunteer of the Year for The Anglo-Celt Community & Sports Awards, which she received for organising the walk in Cavan. She explained that, when she gets up on stage, the sea of yellow catches in her throat, overwhelmed that so many people set their alarm to come out and support the wal
This year, some people joined the walk for the first time having lost a family member or friend to suicide in the past year. Fiona’s speech shared the message that there is support available for people who are struggling and there is hope.
This year, as I was speaking to some friends about doing the walk, some mentioned that they would not be doing it after hearing the salary that the CEO of Pieta House earns. Reportedly, the CEO earns €120,000 plus benefits per annum. While I do agree that this salary is unbelievably high for the CEO of a charity organisation, I would not let it put me off participating in the walk. One look at the preparation, organisation and decoration that the volunteers across the country do would really banish that from your mind. This is what I thought as I listened to Fiona’s speech on Saturday morning. On a local level, amazing work is being done by committees and, if you are able and want to do so, the Darkness Into Light walk in a beautiful event.
The walk began at 4.15am, joggers took off into the darkness followed by walkers. I was among the walking group with my camera, my best friend and her little girl. Really, I couldn't have asked for a better combination. As we walked, we saw people we knew and hadn’t seen in ages, got chatting and enjoyed the beautiful singing and the setting around us. The decoration, particularly around the Kilmore Diocesan Pastoral Centre, is always my favourite part. Individual Darkness Into Light tealights lined the walkway. I thought of the poeple who come out and individually place each decoration for people to enjoy. I thought of Fiona who said that, prior to the walk, her own house and her family members’ homes were filled with decorations and refreshments for after the walk. Again, I felt grateful to the local volunteers who make the event special.
As we neared Cavan Cathedral, I realised how bright it had gotten and how I didn’t even notice the sun creeping up. The Cathedral stood beautifully, lit in yellow with a hope sign placed in front of it. Again, one of my favourite parts of the walk.
As I took pictures, I learned about some people taking part. Some had recently lost a family member, another two ladies were sisters in their eighties who wanted to come out to show their support, others were a group of friends who said they would come out and do it together. Imagine, in the small number of people I spoke to, each of them had their own reason for participating in Darkness Into Light. Each person has a reason for being there, and for each person the walk is very special. Personally, Darkness Into Light has become a ritual for me and has followed me throughout my teenage years and into adulthood. I remember doing it with my parents, with secondary school friends and I remember doing it remotely twice during Covid 19. Last year, my roommate and I shared the ritual in Malta with people from all over the world as we watched the sunrise over the Mediterranean and explained what Darkness Into Light was. This year, it was in my home town again. I truly love doing Darkness Into Light and I hope to continue experiencing the magical feeling. The message is simple - there is hope.