Ronan begins his Bay to Bay walk

Ronan Scully will put his best foot forward this Saturday as he begins his epic Bay to Bay 350km charity walk that will pass through Offaly on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

This is his third annual trek in honour of his 52nd birthday to raise funds for three very deserving charities he holds close to his heart, Self Help Africa, Rosabel Rooms in partnership with the Irish Hospice Foundation, and Galway Rape Crisis Centre.

"If anyone would like to join me for any part of the walk they are more than welcome and anyone who would raise a few euros for the charities I will get a sponsorship cards out to them," begins Ronan.

Ronan's route passes up through Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Offaly, Westmeath, Roscommon and onto Galway, with a special 5km walk at the end of the walk on Saturday, August 24 along the Prom in Salthill where people are invited to join in the last 5k of the walk.

"I will be walking through the Midlands through Offaly and Westmeath on route to Galway, on Tuesday, August 20, Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22. He will arrive in his home town of Clara on Wednesday and set from there to Ballinasloe on Thursday morning.

Monies raised will go towards helping children and young people in need in Africa and Ireland. Having worked for a number of years with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, Ronan spent more than a decade in India, Nepal, Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sierra Leone, and continues this work as a representative in the West of Ireland with Self Help Africa.

The upcoming 350km trip is a sort of 'Irish Camino' for Ronan and friends and will start from the parish church in Ardmore Bay, Waterford on Saturday, August 17, and will conclude with a 5k charity walk on the promenade in Salthill, Galway, on Saturday afternoon at 4pm on August 24.

All are welcome to join him at the Claddagh Hall in Galway to walk the Salthill Prom for this event and register at the Claddagh hall that day for the 5km walk and make a donation of €15 towards the charities or whatever people can afford. The walk will be followed by a BBQ at 6pm in The Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill with tickets selling at €20 with all proceeds going to the charities.

Offaly-born Ronan will be joined at different stages of the walk by family, friends and supporters, on his prayerful and celebratory journey up through the middle of Ireland.

“We have a number of social events and gatherings arranged along the route, and there will be various sports people and others joining me at different stages of the trip,” he said.

A former RTE Operation Transformation finalist, Ronan Scully has organised races, walks, climbs, social events, charity galas, and fundraising expeditions too numerous to mention through the years, and even undertook a hike to the North Pole in aid of various charities, a number of years ago that was kindly funded by Richard Donovan, founder of the North Pole Marathon/Global Running’s.

The upcoming challenge will give him a chance to say thank you to so many people who had supported him in his work with some of the poorest people on the planet.

“I am looking at it as a prayerful journey and a celebration – of my own milestone, the time that I’ve spent working for charity, and also of the many incredible people who I’ve crossed paths with in this line of work over the past 27 years and who gave so much of themselves so that we could help so many people, families and children in need around our world,” he said.

For further information contact: Ronan at (087) 6189094 and for further information on the Charities go to www.selfhelpafrica.org /www.hospicefoundation.ie / www.grcc.ie