70-Year-Old to Walk 450km from Donegal to Kinsale for MS Ireland

A 70-year-old man will attempt an extraordinary 450 kilometre walk from Donegal Town to Kinsale this summer, raising funds for MS Ireland for a cause that is close to his own family.

Tony Merrigan, who now lives in Nerja, Spain, about 40 minutes east of Malaga, will begin his walk from Donegal Town on 13 July and is due to arrive in Kinsale on 1 August. His route will bring him through Ballyshannon, Grange, Sligo, Coolaney, Curry, Kilkelly, Claremorris, Tuam, Claregalway, Limerick, Charleville, Mallow, Blarney and Innishannon before he finishes in Kinsale.

The cause is personal for Tony. His daughter Laura was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27 and is now 46, living a full life while still experiencing the ongoing impact of the condition.

The walk will take 19 days in total, including a single rest day in Limerick. Tony is no stranger to long-distance challenges, having previously walked the Camino de Santiago from France, a journey of more than 800 kilometres completed over 32 days. He has described this new challenge as his own Irish version of the Camino, and possibly his last major adventure.

Tony is fundraising through MS Ireland's Enthuse platform. More than 11,000 people live with MS in Ireland, and MS Ireland is the only national organisation providing information, advocacy and direct support to those affected, as well as their families and carers. The organisation is encouraging people along Tony's route to support him, share his fundraising page, and donate if they can.

Speaking ahead of the walk, Tony said:

"I intend to walk from Donegal Town to Kinsale in July — 450 plus kilometres."On his training, he said: "I have great opportunities to get fit between now and then. We have mountains and lots of walks right there available to me. In fact, I have started walking now." On his daughter's diagnosis, he said: "My daughter Laura, unfortunately, at 27, she was diagnosed with MS. She has a full life now. She's 46. She's had a child since." He added: "She lives a full life, but she gets tired and she has her moments." On his motivation, he said: "It's been something that's been on my mind to do for this particular cause because of that situation." On the physical challenge ahead, he said: "It doesn't sound much, 25 kilometres per day, but the hardest part is doing it every day and getting up again the following morning to do it again. But I will do it." Recalling his previous walk, he said: "It was a fantastic experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I got a lot out of it. I got a lot of peace out of it." Looking ahead, he said: "I want to do this walk. It's probably my last adventure given my age, so I'm quite happy to do this particular walk as my last big adventure."Inviting support from the public, he said: "Anyone indeed that hears about this is welcome to join me. If you hear something on the radio, come and join me." He added: "Anybody that sees me on the road, beep the horn or indeed join me. They're more than welcome. I would love that." On his choice of fundraising platform, he said: "I like the idea that I'm not dealing in cash, that the funds are totally transparent. The funds go directly to MS Ireland."

Tony's route:

13 July: Donegal Town to Ballyshannon 14 July: Ballyshannon to Grange 15 July: Grange to Sligo 16 July: Sligo to Coolaney 17 July: Coolaney to Curry 18 July: Curry to Kilkelly 19 July: Kilkelly to Claremorris 20 July: Claremorris to Tuam 21 July: Tuam to Claregalway 22 July: Claregalway to Ardrahan 23 July: Ardrahan to Crusheen 24 July: Crusheen to Newmarket-on-Fergus 25 July: Newmarket-on-Fergus to Limerick 26 July: Rest day in Limerick 27 July: Limerick to Croom 28 July: Croom to Charleville 29 July: Charleville to Mallow 30 July: Mallow to Blarney 31 July: Blarney to Innishannon 1 August: Arrive in Kinsale

Tony is available for interview and can be contacted directly on 0034 641736370 or by email at tmservices1@gmail.com.