AFTER more than six weeks on the road, covering almost 1,000 kilometres, a Jerseyman is tantalisingly close to achieving his ambition of walking the length of Ireland.
Billy Brenock left the most northerly point of the Emerald Isle, Malin Head in County Donegal, on the first day of October and has braved some wild autumn weather as he has made his way south.
The goal for the 22-year-old former student of De La Salle College is Mizen Head in County Cork, Ireland’s most southerly point, and he is currently on target to finish by his target date of 18 November.
Three different charities are set to benefit from the challenge: Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, the Irish Heart Foundation and Dementia Jersey.
All of the good causes were chosen for personal reasons, with Macmillan having provided support for Mr Brenock’s mother Ella following a cancer diagnosis, from which she has now recovered after treatment.
The walk is the second major fundraiser Mr Brenock has undertaken in recent years – he completed the Dublin Marathon in 2023 and amassed around £9,000 for Macmillan and the Irish Cancer Society.
A highlight of the current challenge came in the fifth week when Mr Brenock arrived in Mitchelstown in County Cork, which is where his family hails from.
“I knew there’d be a few people who would come out to see me, but I didn’t expect such a large crowd,” he said.
“I went to the school which my parents attended and the pupils were clapping and cheering – it was an amazing experience.”
Earlier in the walk, there was the less enjoyable but equally memorable experience of encountering Storm Amy, which battered the northern part of of the British Isles at the start of October. And within the last few days a yellow rain warning in the south-west of Ireland led to some localised flooding.
Mr Brenock, who works in the audit and assurance at the Jersey office of Deloitte and is currently taking a career break, said his body was holding out well after averaging around 20km per day.
“There are a few aches and blisters, and my bag weighs 12 kilogrammes, so it’s been nice on the days when there have been people to take it so it’s not on my back,” he said.
So far the challenge has raised around £6,200 for the chosen charities. Anyone wishing to donate online should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/malin2mizen-1000km-50daywalk.
