A well-known GAA referee has become the latest member of the Lámh Dhearg club to take on the ‘50-50’ walking challenge ahead of Saturday’s Darkness into Light event at Hannahstown.
Paddy Tumelty agreed to follow in the footsteps of chairman Peter Kane and former senior player Mickey Boyle by walking 5k every day for 50 consecutive days.
A lead hand and aircraft fitter with Spirit Aerosystems by day, Paddy is also a dual referee in Antrim so finding the spare time to walk 5k every day was a challenge in itself.
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“I’m a referee for hurling and football in Antrim so I incorporate that into my walks -in a game I’ll be running anywhere between 5k and 10k anyway, depending on the game,” stated Paddy.
“When I have a game, I put that down as one of my walks - I was refereeing the Dunloy versus Ballygalget hurling game on Easter Sunday for example.
“When I was on a stag do in Portugal, I did one of the walks in Albufeira when we were playing golf.”
“My first walk was on March 18 and we started off with the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ walk in Fermanagh.”
He added: “Mickey Boyle completed the walks last year and Peter Kane the year before that.
“I was asked to do it this year. I went out for a few walks along with Peter, our club chairman, when he was doing his ‘50-50’.
“I started in back in March and my 50th walk will be on Saturday - the Darkness Into Light walk at Hannahstown.”
The Darkness into Light event returned to the Lámh Dhearg club last year after an enforced two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 with upwards of 2,000 people in attendance.
This year’s walk is set to attract a similar number of participants and Paddy says the event is about offering support to those impacted by suicide or self-harm.
“For me, the Darkness into Light event is about coming together as a community and supporting the people who have suffered a loss through suicide, remembering their loved ones and sharing stories and sharing their hardships,” said Paddy.
“Maybe that is a bit of relief for them? Hopefully, this can help to raise awareness and support the Pieta charity.”
For more information on Darkness into Light or to To donate to Paddy's fundraiser, click here.
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