On the 16th of June, I pulled on my boots for a day on the hills – which isn’t unusual for me. What was different about this particular day, however, was the group of people waiting for me in the Croagh Patrick car park, bearing small yellow flags and wearing matching green t-shirts. At least it was easy to find everyone.
This rag-tag group of people and I were there for On the Move, a Focus Ireland fundraiser that encourages people to challenge themselves in the outdoors and raise money to help end homelessness in Ireland.
At the time of recording, there are over 14,009 people experiencing homelessness in Ireland, including over 4,206 children.
The aim of the day was to challenge ourselves physically and tick off a potential bucket-list adventure, all the while raising money for this important cause. I challenge myself regularly in the Irish outdoors, pushing myself through physically difficult terrain and the intense mix of weather we have in Ireland. I do this knowing I have somewhere to return to and call my own. Being stripped back by the elements shows you how important the mundane can be – and how incredibly lucky so many of us are. Having a home is a basic necessity for all.
As we followed the path up the Reek, we encountered the usual wild variety of people you meet on this mountain. Of course, the summit was in clouds, wet mist flying around as we ate snacks and prepared for the descent.
Conversations varied, from the event to work to personal and reflective, in the way that being in nature seems to facilitate. On reaching the car park again, I felt like I’d known some of these people for years, not merely hours. It was an honour to get to climb Croagh Patrick with them. It was a fantastic day that I’ll be thinking about for a while.
The fundraising pages will be open until the 16th of July, 2024. My birthday was on the 2nd of July, so if you have a euro or two to spare, this would be the most perfect birthday present you can give me.