Famine Walk remembers Haiti

Famine Walk remembers Haiti


Deirdre Gavin

On January 12, 2010, at 4.53pm, a grade 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit ten miles west of Porte au Prince, Haiti, changing the lives of its two million inhabitants forever. After the quake, the Haitian government estimates 200,000 died and almost 2,000,000 people have been left homeless. It is very simple to forget events that don’t directly affect us, but luckily there are always considerate minds out there who do not.

Bishop from Haiti to walk
Declan Tunney, is one such campaigner, and this week the people of Haiti will be remembered in the annual Doolough Valley Famine Walk Day. Bishop Dorcilien from Haiti will join those gathered to remember his people and to help bring about awareness of their plight. Bishop Dorcilien and Gladys Dorcillien will be accompanied by the newly elected president of Haiti’s Special Envoy, Mr Edy Edme for the duration of their stay in Ireland, whose trip has been sponsored by Dr Patrick Treacy. The event is organised by Action from Ireland (AFRI) and the theme of this year’s walk is food sovereignty.
The relevance of the walk can be matched up historically with walks which have brought about change. Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt march to Dandi in 1930 which furthered Indian Independence. Martin Luther King’s Freedom March on Washington to the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and Maha Ghosananda, who led his fellow monks and lay people on peace walks from village to village in war-ravaged Cambodia, encouraging the distressed population to build the spiritual and civic basis for safety, trust and peace.

Symbolic parallel
Twenty years ago the Famine Walk was witness to the footsteps of Bishop Desmond Tutu.
Within three years of the walk, apartheid was abolished and South Africa was free. Whilst it is not the walk alone that brings about changes, it does bring awareness and attentiveness to the situation.
Participants are invited to walk on the same track of road and in the footsteps of Irish Famine victims 162 years ago on their journey through the Doolough Valley (from Doolough Lake near Delphi Lodge, to the small town of Louisburgh).
Campaigning for the cause Declan Tunney explains “This is my hope for the people of Haiti that one day they will be truly free in their own country, where justice, equality, dignity would become the norm.” Declan has over the past five years striven to help those who suffer in the world and also has campaigned for  awareness for countries who need help.
In 2006 he worked with Habitat in Madagasgar building houses, in 2008 he travelled to Nepal installing specialist water pumps and in 2009 visited Haiti prior to the earthquake.

Solidarity in suffering
Declan explains what will happen “On May 21 this year we will be walking in solidarity with all those who have suffered and continue to suffer. The analogy between the suffering of peoples in both Ireland and Haiti, dubbed in their respective eras ‘the poorest country in the western hemisphere’ is clear. The Irish Famine victims of 1845-49, and more recently the impoverished and beleaguered island nation of Haiti, which continues to suffer, struck initially by an earthquake on January 12, 2010, the greatest natural disaster of our time and more recently by a cholera epidemic in October 2010.”
Overall, their plan is to walk for Haiti and all victims of suffering, growing awareness of the Haitian story. Drawing on historical similarities with the Irish and connecting with more and more people.
Declan hopes that the event will double in popularity from last year’s walk, in which 150 people participated.
The day will finish up with another fundraising event in Matt Molloy’s, Westport: the third Haiti Musical Social Night.


Doolough’s tragedy, March 30, 1849

Áine Ryan

TEN miles beyond Louisburgh and approaching the Doolough valley, nature predominates. Mweelra mountain and the Sheefrey Hills close in. A lake shimmers in the distance. A seagull screeches, a wispy breeze shivers, a small plaque stands on the side of the road.
On the night of March 30, 1849, hundreds of starving people descended on Louisburgh.
The local Poor Law Guardians were to inspect them so that they could be certified officially as ‘paupers’. Being an official pauper entitled one to three pounds of Indian meal (corn shipped from America) and maybe even refuge in the workhouse.
It was snowing, and a bitter wind blew in from the Atlantic as the desperate grey shadows of near quenched humanity made their way to the village.
On arrival, they were told that there had been a change of plan and that they must now present themselves at Delphi Lodge, which was ten miles away, at 7am the following morning. The paths were rough and slippery as they made their way in the dark.
And when they finally reached the lodge they were told to wait.
The Guardians were dining and not to be disturbed.
Eventually, they were informed that there was no grain, no relief, no help. There was nothing to do but turn around and walk the 10 miles back to Louisburgh.
According to local lore, hundreds of people died on that fateful journey. Many were so weak and malnourished that they were blown into the lake.