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Video: The Journey Begins For Home To Rome Cyclists

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Fr Sean Hanafin with Elma and Fionnbar Walsh and Tom Foley just before the start of the journey to take Donal Walsh's anti-suicide message, written on the scroll, to Rome. Photo by Dermot Crean
Fr Sean Hanafin with Elma and Fionnbar Walsh and Tom Foley just before the start of the journey to take Donal Walsh’s anti-suicide message, written on the scroll, to Rome. Photo by Dermot Crean

AN epic journey began on Wednesday that will see cyclists bring Donal Walsh’s anti-suicide message all the way to the Rome on July 5.

A large crowd gathered at St John’s Church to see Tom Foley, Tralee, Maurice Brosnan  from Scartaglin and Tony Galwey, Currow, off on the first step of the ‘Home To Rome’ journey to Castleisland, where they left the scroll in Pieta House overnight.

In a short ceremony inside the church, Tom Foley received the scroll containing Donal’s message, from Fr Sean Hanafin. A lone piper then led out those present and Daniel Cournane, whom Donal coached at Tralee Rugby Club, did the Haka to send the cyclists on their way.

The large crowd then followed the cyclists, accompanied on the bike by Donal’s father Fionnbar, to Donal’s final resting place in Rath Cemetery. There was a minute’s silence and the release of 16 red balloons to signify each year of Donal’s life before his family  handed over the scroll to the cyclists who will carry it to Rome.

Then began their 2,060km journey to the Eternal City.

I asked Tom Foley, originally from the Mitchels area, if  he was ready for the long road ahead.

“Yes. I’m as ready as I can be I suppose. The cycling is a bit new to me, I’ve done about eight marathons since last October and now I’ve jumped on the bike for something new,” he said.

Tom Foley, Caroline McConnell with Donal Walsh's parents Elma and Fionnbar Walsh before the handing over of Donal's message in a scroll at St John's Church on Wedneday afternoon. Photo by Dermot Crean
Tom Foley, Caroline McConnell with Donal Walsh’s parents Elma and Fionnbar Walsh before the handing over of Donal’s message in a scroll at St John’s Church on Wedneday afternoon. Photo by Dermot Crean

“I’m doing a full charity year for the Kerry Hospice and a I saw a notice for this event so I’m always looking for a challenge,” he added. Tom and the cyclists will also be joined by Caroline McConnell from Tralee who is a medic on the trip.

In between there will be stop offs in Cashel, Kilkenny, Carlow and Rosslare (where they take the ferry to Cherbourg). Along the journey to Rosslare, the trio will be joined by 22 other cyclists before taking the ferry .

They’ll then cross France into Italy and to Pisa where the cyclists will be joined by Donal’s mother Elma on July 2. She will accompany them on the last leg to Rome.

They arrive in Rome on July 5, where we will be met by Italian cyclists who will guide them to the Vatican. There, they will be welcomed in Rome by Laura Ellard a native of Carlow along with other Irish living in Rome. Elma will then deliver the scroll to the Vatican, thus completing this epic journey.

In the video below, we see a lone piper leading Tom Foley out of St John’s, Daniel Cournane doing the haka and Tom Foley being joined by Fionnbar Walsh on the journey out of St John’s Church grounds.