Mayo people invited to ‘Walk for Palestine’ at annual Famine Walk

People in Mayo are being invited to walk for peace and Palestine this coming Saturday, May 18 at the annual Famine Walk, at Doolough Valley near Louisburgh. 

Organised by the human rights group Afri, the walk retraces the steps of several hundred people who walked the route in search of food during The Great Famine.

In 1849, the route was the scene of a tragedy when a number of starving people walked from Louisburgh to Delphi, where they were sent home without receiving any relief. Many of them subsequently died on the journey home.

This year’s Famine Walk is focused on Palestine and will be led by Faten Sourani, a Dublin-based Palestinian lawyer and human rights advocate from Gaza, and Donal O’Kelly, a renowned writer, performer, and activist, known for his long-term involvement with Afri dating back to the Dunnes Stores anti-apartheid strike in 1984.

There will also be a performance by Róisín El Cherif, an Irish-Palestinian musician from Galway, who will be accompanied by Katie O’Connor.

Since 1988, the annual Famine Walk has highlighted the connection between the Great Famine and modern-day injustices worldwide.

Previous walk leaders have included Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Christy Moore, journalist John Pilger, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Arun Gandhi, actor Gabriel Byrne, Michael Davitt’s granddaughter Gráinne, and Kim Phuc, the Vietnamese woman who was famously photographed as a child in a now iconic photo in which she is running from a napalm attack.

Speaking in advance of the walk, Afri coordinator, Joe Murray, says the event represents a chance for people to honour their ancestors and to stand in solidarity with those facing injustice and oppression today.

Mr Murray said there is a particularly strong level of interest from people wishing to express their support for the people of Palestine.

“During An Gorta Mór, more than 26 million bushels of grain were exported from Ireland to England. We must never forget the million people who died from starvation or hunger-related diseases and more than a million forcibly displaced at the hands of colonial rule. Now, in the Congo, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and in Gaza, millions of people face hunger and starvation at the hands of those who have the power to prevent it.”

“These crises are not isolated. War anywhere threatens peace and security everywhere,” he continued.

“This is evident with the war in Ukraine, with the conflict not only devastating the people of Ukraine but also having a detrimental effect on food availability across the world. In what was once heralded as ‘the breadbasket of Europe’ and one of the largest grain producers in the world, the war has seriously impacted Ukraine’s capacity for food.”

Registration for the 18-kilometre Famine Walk takes place between 11am-12pm at the Parish Hall in Louisburgh followed by the opening ceremony.

Buses will start taking people to the starting people at 12.40pm. Registration is required and is by donation.