Anton McNulty
THE family of an Irish-born US Marine who died in a training exercise off the Florida coast in 2015 are to walk from Croagh Patrick to Achill as a memorial on the second anniversary of his death.
US Marine Staff Sergeant Liam Flynn, originally from Clane, Co Kildare, was killed along with six of his US Marine colleagues when the Black Hawk helicopter he was travelling in crashed along the coast in Florida on March 10, 2015.
Sgt Flynn’s mother, Ann Flynn (nee English), is a native of Meelan on Achill Island, and the island still holds a special place for the family.
The upcoming 70k walk will finish at the summit of the Minaun Heights on Achill Island. The village of Meelan sits on the base of the Minaun Heights, and Sgt Flynn’s sister Norma explained that her brother climbed the hill on his last visit to Ireland. She said the family felt it was the ideal way to remember her brother and his colleagues.
“When we were together at Christmas we talked a lot about Liam and we talked of what we would do this year to remember him. My brother, Seán, came up with the idea of a walk to remember the seven boys. The only place we could do it was Achill, and we figured out it was around 70k from Croagh Patrick to Achill – 10k for each of the Marines killed in the crash.
“Our mum is from Achill, and we spent every summer growing up in Achill; we still have cousins and friends there who we visit. When Liam was last in Achill, he went up the Minaun Heights and took photographs up there. It was a special place for him too,” she explained.
The walk will start at the base of Croagh Patrick on the morning of Friday, March 10. The core of the group will be made up of Liam’s brothers, sisters, friends, cousins and brothers-in-laws. A couple of retired Marines who are based in Dublin will also join them.
The group will be carrying four flags: the Irish national flag, the American flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Marine Raider flag.
The majority of the walk will take place along the Greenway, and members of the public are welcome to join them. They plan to walk to Mulranny on the first day, where they will break for the evening before completing the walk the following morning.
Norma said the family’s grief is still raw, but that Liam was always challenging himself and his family wanted to honour him by challenging themselves and doing something outside the ordinary. She added that she would love to have as many people as possible join them on the final leg to the Minaun Heights and support them as they arrive on the island.
More information on the walk, along with starting and arrival times, are available on the 704R7 Facebook page.
