Mayo hotelier completes 250km 'Cork2Cong' fundraiser in memory of his late wife Stella

On October 28, well-known hotelier Niall Rochford laced up his shoes and embarked on a 12-day challenge, walking from Cork to Cong, in memory of his late wife Stella. Just eight weeks after her shock diagnosis, Stella passed away from pancreatic cancer in July 2022.

Despite walking an extraordinary 250km, Niall, the Managing Director of the Ashford Castle Estate, had never done anything like this before.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Niall told The Mayo News. “I made the decision to do this walk on July 13, three years to the day since Stella passed. The next morning, I went out for a 10-kilometer walk. I went from zero to 100 percent overnight!”

From that first day of training, Niall began preparing both physically and mentally to follow a path that mirrors the journey of Stella's life.

The walk began at University College Cork, where Stella studied, before continuing through Limerick and Clare, where the couple met and later married. The route ended in Cong, the place they called home, and where Stella is now laid to rest.

“At times, I found it difficult,” he said. “ However, now that it’s over, she feels even closer.”

Show of support

“I thought I would be like Forrest Gump - just me, my headphones, and the road,” Niall laughed. “I think I had 20 minutes of the entire walk when I had my headphones in. Every day, people joined - sometimes ten or fifteen, some days fifty. Some knew me, some didn’t. They were just carried along by the story and what we were doing.”

Supporters travelled from across the country to join stages of the journey.

“So many people came to walk or reached out to share their stories - husbands, wives, sons, daughters all lost to pancreatic cancer,” he said. “People really appreciated the fact that pancreatic cancer was now being spoken about, and it was being highlighted because there never was a voice for pancreatic cancer before.”

The encouragement, he said, was 'phenomenal'. “From Cork to Limerick, Clare into Mayo, there were bonfires, flags, and people lining the roads in the rain.”

Each day, Rochford set out at 10am to walk for five or six hours, covering between 22 and 28 kilometres a day. With a weather warning showing no mercy, the physical toll was notable.

“My hips and hamstrings were sore after the first two days,” he said. “But nothing compares to what families face after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.”

Despite the aches, he said the experience was transformative.

“People who didn’t know each other started talking and connecting. There were no phones, no distractions, just genuine conversations. It did a lot of good for a lot of people.”

Raising funds and awareness

Funds raised will go directly to Pancreatic Cancer Ireland, which was co-founded earlier this year by Niall, together with Rachel Duquesnois and Pamela Deasy, whose lives have been deeply impacted by the disease. The group is supported by various leading medical experts, including Professor Aisling Barry, Radiation Oncologist and Chair of Radiation Oncology at UCC, as well as Professor Gráinne O’Kane, Consultant Medical Oncologist at St Vincent’s University Hospital.

“Ireland is probably 10 to 15 years behind the European best practice, in terms of pancreatic cancer care,” Niall explained. “We want to fund advanced practitioner nursing posts, diagnostic centres, and awareness campaigns - anything that helps people get diagnosed earlier and get proper support.”

Pancreatic Cancer Ireland is a voluntary organisation.

“We don’t take any expenses; every single penny that’s raised will go to improving the outcomes and the experience of those who have pancreatic cancer.”

The walk, originally planned as 250km, ended up being slightly longer.

“On Monday, November 3, someone added a safer route, which turned out to be five kilometres longer,” he laughed. “But we walked every one of them.”

While the walk raised significant awareness and funds, Rochford insists it is only the beginning.

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To date, an amazing €165,990 has been raised by Niall Rochford. Donations are still being accepted at https://www.idonate.ie/event/Cork2Cong