John Wallace is walking to raise funds for mental health services.

Tipp farmer’s fundraising walk for mental health

In just over two weeks, Templederry farmer John Wallace plans to walk 550km of the Beara-Breifne Way in aid of mental health services in Ireland. This route, which runs through Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, Roscommon and Cavan, is Ireland’s longest inland walking trail and John plans to walk it in its entirety in 17 days, relying on the goodwill of people from each of the counties listed above to help him.

“I’m looking for help from the public along the way to put me up, even places just to put my tent and charge my phone,

“Some people are hoping to join me on different days and that’s the whole spirit of things,” explained John.

RAISING AWARENESS

John hopes to raise awareness and funds for mental health services in Ireland.

“The sentiment with the walk, like with mental health, is just to keep going, to not give up.

“Help is there even with the services, all people have to do is ask and I’m asking for people’s help to get me from South to North on this walk.

“The three charities are Pieta House, Jigsaw, and Aware,” explained the dairy farmer.

550Km Walk

John began his walk on August 5 in Castletownbere, Cork, and will be carrying his own tent and supplies as he walks the 550km trail every day for over two weeks.

“I’m hoping 17 days, all going well. I’ll be averaging about 30-40km per day depending on the terrain.

“I have a rest day scheduled here at home (in Templederry) - whether I take it or not I don’t know. I’ll see how I’m feeling,” said John.

“I’m a bit apprehensive about it, but I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and started,” he admitted.

John is calling for people to come out and support him as he passes through different areas on his journey.

“Just to have a chat with someone. It’s funny the kind of people you can meet in life, they can share their life stories with you at times.

“Some people will join in, whether they join in for the whole day or part of it. It’s not going to be an easy walk. I think the Tipp part is the most rugged - I’ll be hoping to go through Tipperary between August 12-16,” explained John

Family Bereavement

John lost his father, William Wallace, to suicide in 2015. This loss was felt deeply by John’s family and their extended community in Templederry.

“We lost our dad to suicide back in 2015. It was an awful time. We did avail of the services and people in the community were very good to us. I just said at some point I would like to do something to give something back,” said John.

As October marks his father’s tenth anniversary, John has decided to undertake this challenging walk in memory of his father, while also hoping it will help raise awareness and funds for mental health services.

Mental Health of Farmers

John is very passionate about raising awareness about mental health services and encouraging people, especially those in the agricultural community, to talk about their mental health.

“Everyone has rough patches in their lives. We all need a bit of help at times,”

It’s a solitary lifestyle farming; you don’t meet people during your typical day.

“Everything has gone online as well, there’s nobody really coming into the farm,” said John.

“Talk to another farmer about it, a friend, a neighbour, someone, even a stranger. Pick up the phone to any one of these services,” he said, encouraging farmers to talk about their mental health.

Showcase your support

People are encouraged to support John by walking a few kilometres with him on his walk this August. John would also greatly appreciate any support that people could offer him in terms of accommodation and meals throughout his journey from Cork to Cavan.

John will also be documenting his journey on his social media pages @milesforminds2025 on Facebook and Instagram. People are encouraged to give him a follow and to help him spread the word by giving his page a share to friends.

If people would like to donate to John’s fundraiser, then they can make a donation on his idonate page, which can be found at www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/milesforminds2025. All donations will be split evenly between three Irish mental health charities, Aware, Jigsaw and Pieta House.