Mayo joins nationwide family courts solidarity walk
Castlebar event will highlight concerns around transparency, accountability and the impact of family court decisions
People across Mayo are invited to take part in a peaceful solidarity walk in Castlebar later this month as part of a nationwide campaign calling for greater transparency and accountability in Ireland’s family courts.
The Walk in Our Shoes 2026 event will take place at 11am on Sunday, September 27, with walks planned across all 26 counties.
In Mayo, participants will assemble at the Tusla offices on Mill Lane, Main Street, Castlebar, before completing a one-mile route to Castlebar Courthouse on The Mall.
Organisers stress that the walk is not a protest, but a peaceful gesture of recognition and support for families and children who have experienced the family court system.
“I have experienced first-hand the failures within Ireland’s family law system and the devastating impact they can have on victims of domestic abuse and their children,” said Margaret, the Mayo coordinator of the Walk in our Shoes 2026 walk.
Participants are being asked to wear black and carry children’s shoes, symbolising childhoods shaped, and in some cases lost, through family court decisions.
Walk in Our Shoes is described as a grassroots coming together of people concerned about what organisers say is a lack of justice, transparency and accountability within Ireland’s family courts.
The campaign is calling for a family court system that is transparent, trauma-informed and trustworthy.
“I want to turn that experience into actions - to expose systemic failures, demand accountability, and ensure that no victim is retraumatised by the very system that is supposed to protect them,” Margaret said.
“Family law must put safety, accountability and the best interests of children first,” she added. “It must recognise domestic abuse and take into account the impact that domestic abuse can have on a child.”
No registration is required for the Castlebar walk, and everyone is welcome to take part.
A further national walk will take place in Dublin on Wednesday, September 30. Participants will assemble at the Four Courts at 11.30am before departing at noon for Leinster House.
The Mayo organisers are encouraging people to attend the Castlebar walk as a show of solidarity with children and families affected by the family court system.