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Box Ticked: Alex walks Ireland for the RNLI

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I’ve actually done it. I’ve walked round the whole coast of the Republic of Ireland!

It’s been a perfectly Irish last day here in the Republic- early morning hot sunshine followed by a mixture of torrential rain broken by showers and a constant “soft rain”. And a rainbow.

This morning I sat in Gerry’s back patio in the sunshine in Moville. Warmth bounced off the stone. Van Morrison played from the kitchen. Gerry was sat opposite me on a bench up against the wall of his house eating cornflakes. Two overflowing hanging baskets hung either side of him. I sat opposite on a chair eating two giant croissants. I haven’t eaten croissants in a long time- I enjoyed the novelty.

Gerry only moved back to Ireland in February.

“Gerry, where did you enjoy living most that wasn’t in Ireland?”

“Where was my favourite place in England?”

“Sure”

He put down the spoon in the bowl and thought for a moment.

“There wasn’t one place”

He picked up the spoon and carried on eating cornflakes.

“Really? You lived in England for 40 years no? There’s gotta be one place you enjoyed?”

“Not really. Well no there was one ground floor flat I lived in. In London. It was Victorian. I enjoyed living in that flat. But I didn’t enjoy London”
We talked about happiness, Tony Blair and addiction. Gerry is a proper gentleman. One of the most honest people I’ve ever met. And he’s living somewhere now that he obviously loves.

I’m just walking into Derry now 👋 and I’ll be walking towards Belfast along the coast over the next few weeks!

I’m tired.

Slán go fóill.

Thanks everyone x

1 year, 11 months and 22 days
£22,741 raised for RNLI Lifeboats

Donate:
http://www.bt.com/DonateToLifeboats

It appears Alex will be starting his walk northwards around the Scottish coast this summer, meaning he will inevitably walk some of our most northerly regions in the depths of winter.

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2 responses to “Box Ticked: Alex walks Ireland for the RNLI”

  1. Paul Marks Avatar
    Paul Marks

    Gerry with a G rather that a J – yes it was the Republic.

    As for not having a favorite place in England – well principle would forbid that (unless my guess is wrong). I am sure the gentleman was very warm and hospitable.

    You may find some people of the North (the Jerry with a J ones) less warm and friendly – but it is just their way.

    London can indeed be overwhelming – but at least one can always find things of interest there, not so of some other towns in England.

    Now if you had taken Gerry with a G with you around the coasts of Britain – I think his honesty would have led him to admit that there are some nice places.

    He would then say “there was not one place – because I liked quite a few places”.

    Which is my own position.

    You are doing a very good thing.

    You have seen these islands the way they should be seen – and raised money for a great cause.

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  2. Mr Ed Avatar
    Mr Ed

    ‘I’ve actually done it. I’ve walked round the whole coast of the Republic of Ireland!’

    Well done, but you might not have walked around the entirety of the Republic’s territorial waters, as your wonderful feet (sic.) may have lead you around the coast, but due to a quirk of the Government of Ireland Act 1920, some say that it led to a situation in which Northern Ireland, having opted back in to the UK after being granted self-government along with the South, was inadvertantly defined as the various Parliamentary constituencies that form the North, which due to constituencies extending to to the low water mark, led to the territorial waters being left to the South, and there is a live dispute as to the boundary of the sea in Lough Foyle.

    However, the good folk of the RNLI save lives regardless of borders and lawyers’ playgrounds, so well done again.

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