The Revd Stephen McWhirter, Rector of Rossorry Parish Church in Enniskillen, is walking from his landmark church on the outskirts of the town to St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, a distance of around 100 miles.
He will leave after morning service on Sunday, March 30 and finish in Dublin on Palm Sunday, April 13, travelling daily distances of up to 11 miles.
Revd Stephen will be raising funds along the way for a community hub at Rossorry and extension to the car park as well as the Aisling Centre in Enniskillen.
Along the way, Revd Stephen will be sleeping in churches and relying on the generosity of strangers. He explained: “I had initially thought, walking by myself, I’d just head off. However, I need a lot of paperwork and registration with both the PSNI and the Gardai to happen. Also support vehicles travelling ahead for me to warn oncoming traffic.
“I needed to attend to a fairly rigorous risk assessment as I’ll be walking barefoot. As you know I’ve experienced this from last Lent however a walk to Dublin does seem a step up.
“Following the biblical principles of taking nothing with me, I’m doing exactly that so will be heavily reliant on the generosity of strangers to feed and water me. I’m contacting colleagues both in Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic churches who are allowing me to sleep in churches on the way to Dublin.”
His route will include the following stopovers at the end of each of the days listed below:
Sunday 30 March – Bellanaleck, Co, Fermanagh (Cleenish Parish Church)
Monday, 31 March – Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh (Derrylin Parish Church)
Tuesday, 1 April – Belturbet, Co. Cavan (Annagh Parish Church)
Wednesday, 2 April – Cavan (Urney Parish Church)
Thursday, 3 April – Lavey, Co. Cavan
Friday, 4 April – New Inn, Ballyjamesduff (Ballyjamesduff)
Saturday 5 April – Virginia, Co, Cavan (Lurgan Parish Church)
Sunday, 6 April – Carnaross, Co. Meath (St Ciaran’s Roman Catholic Church)
Monday, 7 April – Kells, Co. Meath (St. Columba’s Church)
Tuesday, 8 April – Navan, Co. Meath (St. Mary’s Church)
Wednesday, 9 April – Trim, Co. Meath (Agher Church)
Thursday, 10 April – Maynooth, Co. Kildare (Maynooth)
Friday, 11 April – Leixlip, Co. Kildare
Saturday, 12 April – St Michan’s Church, Dublin
Sunday, 13 April (Palm Sunday) – St Patrick’s Cathedral via St James’s Gate
Also along the route, Revd Stephen will be calling at a number of national schools, speaking to pupils about the history and role of pilgrimages. The route crosses a number of places of historic interest, including St Michan's Church dating back to 1686, which was the site of the first Christian chapel dating from 1095.
Revd Stephen’s final walk day will begin at St James’s Gate, the traditional beginning of the medieval pilgrimage route, with his destination of St Patrick’s Cathedral, which for over 800 years has been a site of religious significance.
While Revd Stephen will be accompanied on parts of the journey by a support team, he will be relying on his sturdy staff for support as he walks. It has personal significance for him as it belonged to his father, Roy, who used it at Bangor Heritage Centre where he played the role of St Patrick for visitors.