Mayo mobilises for Darkness Into Light

An early morning candle light message adorned the lawns of Westport House last Saturday morning. ?Pic: Conor McKeown

Running into the light


Edwin McGreal

It would be wrong to say most of the participants in the pre-dawn Darkness into Light event last Saturday morning would not have known what 4am on the clock looked like beforehand.
It might be more accurate to state they were only familiar with it at the end of a long night on the tiles and not at the dawning of a new day.
The early start appeared to be an insignificant impediment though as a huge crowd in excess of 1,200 people descended on the grounds of Westport House for an incredibly powerful event.
Running or walking from darkness into light is a wonderful metaphor for the journey we all need to help with people we know going through troubled times. What was clear last Saturday morning in Westport was that society’s collective will is certainly there to help in the fight.
Apart from much needed funds for Pieta House, last Saturday’s events across the country gave a powerful message – that people in darkness need not walk that journey along. Plenty of people are willing to walk with them towards the light.
We took off from outside Gracy’s Bar at Westport House shortly after 4.30am last Saturday morning and around the stunning grounds of the Georgian mansion. Though it was dark, the splendour of the surroundings was still clear, in a very different way, just lit by tealights and torches.
When we passed the front door of the house, the wondrous talents of Des Cafferkey from the Clew Bay Pipe Band regaled us with The West’s Awake and the Dawning of the Day. Never did these two Irish classics seem more apt then through Des’s melodic bagpipes as night turned into day.
Some of the faster runners were rumoured to be finished whilst the skies over Clew Bay were still covered in darkness. They could claim to be faster than the speed of the light.
Us more laborious runners trundled along further back. Along the Golf Course Road some workers in Berrys watched on, a reminder that this time of the morning is nothing new to night shift workers.
We crossed the line with the sound of birds singing in the woods as the backing music. This was no morning for the iPod and earphones.
There Maeve Gallagher, one the organisers of the event, was still making sure everything was attended to. Rest would have come easy to them that night.
Tea, coffee and water was in plentiful supply as Westport House provided another warm welcome. People left feeling uplifted, Pieta House left with more much needed funds and the message that you need not journey from the darkness on your own was profoundly clear.
Committee member Anne Gallagher said the theme of the walk was connecting with people and how that was so clear ‘as people chatted and laughed with each other along the idyllic route’. “I felt a real togetherness and a total sense of inner peace,” she added.
Her sister, fellow organiser Elaine Gallagher noted how the event has grown in each of the four years at Westport House.
“Each year the event gets bigger and bigger and this year has been by far the busiest.  When people come to register they are full of enthusiasm and can’t wait to get involved in the walk. The mood differs from person to person, obviously. Some people feel a little sombre having dealt directly with the issue and others feel compassion and empathy,” she said.
A job well done by all.


Shrule puts best foot forward


Willie McHugh

AS darkness cracked the eggshell of dawn, over 1,500 people converged on Shrule village on Saturday morning last to participate in the Darkness into Light Walk in aid of Pieta House. Before they departed Shrule Community Centre, where they registered, they were addressed by John Concannon who was one of the prime instigators in organising funding towards the setting up of Pieta House West in Tuam.
Walkers from Maam Cross, Clonbur, Cornamona, Cong, The Neale, Kilmaine, Ballinrobe, Hollymount, Robeen, Ballyglass, Ballindine and Milltown took part. They were led off by SeΡn Moran from Knockroon, a village between Shrule and Headford. The Moran family lost their son John to suicide a few years ago.
All those walking were fulsome in their praise of the organising committee for their attention to detail in ensuring it was an outstanding success. Little things made all the difference.
Tea lights lined both sides of the road along the route that led walkers through Ramolin and Brodella and circling back towards Shrule again.
Some walkers taking part who had lost loved ones to suicide commented on the tranquil setting and the sweet sound of birdsong permeating the air. “It’s almost as if those we lost are sending us a signal they’re walking with us” one man commented.
On completing the walk everyone was treated to copious helpings of complimentary tea, coffee, scones and fruit by the committee. “The shopkeepers and business community in the locality helped us out,” Rita Davin, a member of the organising committee, told The Mayo News afterwards.
“It was the shops in the local areas and not the bigger chains who contributed. They supplied us with far more food than was needed and they didn’t ask for anything in return by way of publicity or anything like that.
“We sent all the food that was left over to the Cope Men’s Shelter in Galway’s Fairgreen and the women’s hostel in Salthill on Saturday morning,” she added. “And they were delighted to receive it. So as well as Pieta House another organisation that does good work benefitted also.
“We want to thank the people living along the route we walked for their co-operation and the help they gave us. We are grateful also to Ballinrobe Branch of the Order of Malta who were with us too.
“We’ve had fundraising walks for Pieta House other years but this was the first official one and we’re delighted with the success. But that’s only because of the goodwill of the people from the different areas who turned out in such large numbers. Every single person who took part came with a positive attitude and it was something the organisers and stewards commented on afterwards,” she concluded.
Shrule has etched itself as a permanent route on the annual Pieta House Darkness into Light map from now on.


Fighting the good fight in Ballina


Anne-Marie Flynn

Just under four hours before the start of Ballina’s Darkness into Light, I ease myself into the driver’s seat in Rathfarnham. On the go since 6am with only a short nap, I wonder at the wisdom of facing into this late night trip. I badly want to be there, but it feels very far away. Luckily, I’m a night owl and as the miles pass, I feel more awake and alert. The drive is peaceful and pleasant and I feel thankful after a frantic week for the downtime to reflect on the occasion.
I don’t know anyone who hasn’t somehow been affected by suicide, either by losing a loved one, or by finding themselves on that dark, lonely path where hope feels distant. In the West, we’re at war with suicide. This event, as well as raising funds for Pieta House serves as a powerful reminder that even in the very blackest places hope prevails. The darkest hour is often before the dawn.
This is my fourth Darkness into Light, and my second in Ballina. The crowd is already assembling as I pull into the Cathedral car park. The air is damp, but the anticipation is palpable. All ages, shapes and sizes inhale deeply as the defiant words of Pieta House founder, Joan Freeman fill the air. “Together, we’re going to win this war”.
We’re off. A novice runner, I’m still building up to managing a 5k without a coronary, but it looks like rain, so I get moving. I soon find myself running alone, but never feeling that way.
A yellow stream files around the bridges of Ballina. Leaving the town, it’s dark but for the flicker of torches ahead and the blue lights of the patrol car signalling the way to the woods. In the dimness by the Moy, it starts to feel special. This is no time for headphone beats. This is a time for quiet; to listen to the silence, to your breathing. To hear and feel your feet hit the ground in their slow rhythm. To enjoy the soft rain on your skin. To catch your breath at the trail of candles lighting the woodland path. To almost stop in your tracks as you turn a corner to see the pond, bathed in iridescent light, glow before your eyes. To choke back a tear as the gospel choir soothes your soul and you float for a few strides on the melody.
The stewards cheer as we approach town, and the rain falls in earnest as the Cathedral finishing line looms. It hasn’t felt like five kilometres. I take a moment indoors at the altar, as the word HOPE blazes in lights, grateful to be here. Back in the sports centre, as dawn breaks, there’s hot tea and cake. The hundreds file back in to refuel, their eyes shining. This morning, we and the 100,000 others partaking all over the world are at one.
Bravo, Ballina. It was magical. And yes, together, we’ll win the war.