Derry duo Fergal Barr, Keith Adair will be joined by Galway woman Shirley McEntee for their mammoth task of walking 300 miles from Derry to Crosshaven in Cork in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.
A regular attendee of the Crosshaven Irish Redhead Convention which is held annually in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, Fergal decided to launch his own fundraiser for the national cancer charity after the Irish Redhead Convention announced that they are taking a hiatus this summer.
And thus, Redhead300 was born! Fergal will be joined by kidney cancer survivor Keith Adair and seven time cancer survivor Shirley McEntee for the trek to Cork.
Keith and Fergal
The official launch of the event is being kicked off today at Cronins’ Bar in Crosshaven today, as Janine Cronin is the driving force behind the Redhead Convention since its inception seven years ago.
The group will leave Derry on the 5th of August, and they will be arriving in Cork on the weekend Fergal would usually attend the Redhead Convention!
Their incredible journey will take them through Ballybofey, Donegal Town, Bundoran, Sligo, Boyle, Roscommon, Athlone, Birr, Roscrea, Thurles, Fermoy and Cork, with the goal of reaching Crosshaven on August 18th.
Keith explains what has inspired him to take on this enormous task.
“The minute a doctor sits you down and breaks the news to you that you have cancer is indescribable – your whole world falls apart and you automatically think the worst.
“When I was first diagnosed I had trouble believing or accepting the fact that I had cancer – I was in denial – but I do count myself as being extremely lucky. I’m a survivor – I had part of my kidney removed last November, and on Friday, 4th March I had my first scan. Like all cancer survivors, I’m in remission.
“I remember a nurse from Macmillan Cancer giving me the best advice I could ever have – you can let cancer take over your life or you can control the cancer.
“You go through so many emotions – fear, hope, anger, stress and anxiety, sometimes even guilt, because you are one of the lucky ones that have survived your cancer journey.”
The trio will be joined by guest walkers along the way, with the first guest walker joining them from Derry to Stranorlar being Derry man and cancer survivor Eamon Baker.
Eamon Baker is well known in Derry for his fantastic community work and his role of the training coordinator at Towards Understanding and Healing.
Fergal is inviting other guest walkers, or ‘RedVoluntionaries’ to join him, Keith, and Shirley as they make their way through the country.
Fergal explained to Donegal Daily that you can walk for however long you like, and that you pledge/fundraise €5 for each kilometer you walk, and that you can walk with them for as little or as long as you like. If you would be like join, be sure to drop them a line on their Facebook page so as they can arrange where to meet you.
Fergal was delighted to meet Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill on a flight home from London, who happily posed for a picture with Fergal and showed his support for the cause.
Fancy joining them? Drop them a line at redhead300walk@hotmail.com (don’t be shy, non-red heads are welcome too!)
If you would like to donate, you can visit theirJust Giving page.