Mayo man talks barefoot walk from Istanbul to Claremorris

“The logical thing after walking around the country is to walk across a continent.”

Those were the words of a Mayo man endeavouring to complete a 5,500-kilometer barefoot journey across the length of Europe in aid of two charities.

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Starting last Tuesday, Claremorris man Eamonn Keaveney has taken on the mammoth task of walking barefoot from Istanbul to Claremorris, a journey that traverses ten countries and surpasses the current record for the longest barefoot journey by over 2,000 km.

At present, the longest distance covered barefoot is held by Polish man Pawel Durakiewicz, who covered 3,409.75 kilometers in January 2024 when he walked around the Iberian peninsula.

The journey will span ten countries and, just in case the distance needs context, the distance from Malin to Mizen Head is 546 km. 

If Eamonn walked from Ireland’s most northern tip to the southernmost point and back five times, he would still have to walk the distance from Westport to Cong to complete 5,500 kilometers.

Speaking to The Mayo News from the town of Saray, Turkey, Mr Keaveney spoke about the journey that led him to this Herculean task, which includes walking around Ireland and scaling the ten highest peaks in Ireland in ten days.

“I was in Easons on O’Connell Street in Dublin sheltering from the rain one day, and I saw the Guinness Book of Records, and I saw the longest barefoot journey,” he said.

“I was like, ‘That’s it, I could do that, or I could try.’

“The following year, I walked around Ireland. The ten peaks came because when I was walking around Ireland, I didn’t climb any mountains.

“I was at the base of Croagh Patrick during it, and I looked at it and thought, ‘I’m not doing that!’ The ten peaks was unfinished business.”

In 2023, Eamonn set the record for the fastest time to cross Ireland by unicycle, an endeavour that took five days, five hours, and 23 minutes.

From the outside, it seems baffling how one person could find the will to do such a host of insane feats. However, the boundless enthusiasm in his psyche was evident even over the phone.

“The unicycling thing came from working in Ward’s corner-house in Claremorris,” he stated. 

“A customer was in having a coffee and asked me what I was doing next. For a laugh, we were looking up records like the longest journey pushing a barrel.

"We found out no one had recorded the fastest time around Ireland on a unicycle. We had a laugh and said I’d do it, with me never having seen a unicycle in my life.

“A few months later, the same customer was in and said, ‘Are you doing it or not?’ He’d actually gone out and sourced me a unicycle.”

To make this trans-European journey even more difficult, Eamonn is carrying all his gear on his back and camping along the way.

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He has garnered plenty of attention in the towns he’s traversed so far.

“The people here are really hospitable,” he said. “We’ve passed through towns with little teahouses, and someone talks to you. In these places where they don't get many visitors, and they’re always so generous.”

“Particularly in smaller towns, you go in, and everyone is taking photos. One of the times, this guy Facetimed his daughter in Nuremberg just so I could have a chat with her.”

The toll on Eamonn’s body is starting to show, so he has taken Monday as a day to rest and recharge.

“The physical side of things took a turn for the worst on Sunday, he said. “We were expecting some teething pains in the beginning, but the feet are very sore.”

It’ll be many months before Eamonn Keaveney sets foot in his hometown of Claremorris. However, his goal the second his feet hit east Mayo is crystal clear.

“It’s eight or nine months away, but I know exactly what I’ll do: walk straight into Ward’s and get myself a Guinness.”

Eamonn has so far raised over €40,000 for charities since the start of his challenges. Now, with the mammoth task of making it home to Claremorris from Turkey on foot, he will be asking people to donate to two worthy causes.

The first half of his donations will go to the mental health group Jigsaw. The other half will be donated to Friends of the Earth, an environmental organisation working to create a sustainable future.

“I’m conscious of the fact that people are being asked to donate to a lot of different fundraisers,” he said. “We’re in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, so I’m chuffed with the amount so far. It’s for two really good causes.”

Those wishing to donate to his efforts can do so via his iDonate page here.

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