Man set to climb every mountain in Ireland for charity

THE people of Mayo are urged to come out and support a man who has set an ambitious challenge to climb every mountain in Ireland between now and the end of June for an Irish charity working in Kenya. 

Aidan Ennis plans to climb all 275 mountains in Ireland (with a height of 600 metres and above) in one continuous hike to raise funds for Brighter Communities Worldwide, a small charity that works in partnership with local communities in Kenya.

The Waterford native will spend much of this coming week (May 7-12) traversing mountains across Mayo as part of the ‘The BIG Walk’.

The challenge will see walkers around Ireland complete 10,000 kilometres - the distance from Ireland to Kenya - from now until October in a bid to highlight the work it does in healthcare, sanitation and economic empowerment.

Mr Ennis aims to complete the mountain challenge in 48 days and the ambitious route starts in Galway in the Maumturks before travelling on to Croagh Patrick, the Blue Stack Mountains, the Mournes, the Wicklow Mountains and the Comeraghs before finishing on Brandon Head in Kerry on June 20. 

Not only will he climb all the mountains in the country over 600 metres, but he also plans to run from one mountain range to the next/

“Brighter Communities Worldwide is a hugely deserving charity, they work incredibly hard and their work over the past two decades has been tangible, all the while improving the lives of the people with whom they work in partnership with in Kenya,” said Mr Ennis. 

“As walking is the main mode of travel for so many people in Kericho County in Kenya who have to travel vast distances to access clean water, the charity hopes that this will resonate with people in Ireland to get behind the challenge. Participants will choose where they want to walk, count the kilometres they cover and hopefully together they will reach 10,000km”.

Mr Ennis is no stranger to tough charity challenges; last year he walked the entire coastline of Wales including all 15 of the Welsh 3,000-foot mountains en route, for Brighter Communities Worldwide.

He credits running on the beaches around Tramore in his native Waterford as helping him prepare for this challenge.

“I will camp out most nights, with some nights in towns and cities in B&B or guest houses where I will pick up supplies for the next few days of the hike. My wife, Emily and our 11-year-old son Alex will meet up with me with our VW camper on some weekends also,” he explained. 

“The people of Ireland are so generous and giving and I am really hoping they get behind me on this challenge, meet me along the route and donate a little to help a lot”.

You can donate to Aidan Ennis’s fundraiser at iDonate.