Navigational glitch and all included, the annual Good Friday morning Kerry Hospice Foundation Walk, Castleisland style, was an outstanding success – one of the best in its near 20 year history.
The sheer numbers which showed up for the start alone alerted the organisers that they had one of the best ever ‘walk days’ on their hands.
Back to Town
The change away from the hilly Kilbanivane / Churchtown route last year worked well. That walk started at the old library and headed off out the Cordal Road and around the Black Road.
The walkers came back to town through the South Circular Road by Garvey’s and back to Cahernard and in Killarney Road and it petered out from there.
There was no petering out this year as Nana Bea’s Café and Gift Shop stepped up and offered to treat all the walkers to a cup of tea and a scone afterwards.
As Special as it Was
That alone, branch chairman Jack Shanahan believes, is what made this Good Friday Hospice Walk as special as it was.
“To be honest with you we were taken aback by the numbers which showed up that morning and, I put my hands up, in spite of my directions it was all taken with good nature and everything worked out well and we were blessed with the weather,” said Jack.
The group split at Barrack Street and approached the Black Road from both sides.
The two groups met each other half way and each tried to turn the other – but they all met at Nana Bea’s afterwards anyway.
Loaves and Fishes
There was also a touch of the biblical loaves and fishes about the day as Chairman Shanahan pointed out:
“The most important aspect of the day was the input of Nana Bea’s. They offered their services to our walkers and they had to come in specially on the day to fulfill their act of kindness.
“I don’t know how they managed it but we gave them a number and double that showed up but they catered for all and it was the makings of the occasion,” said Jack.
The counting of the donations for the day is still going on but it looks like topping the €3,000 mark with some pledges still to come in.
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