From Monkstown to Logrono - in friendly steps

Dear Friends some months ago I felt a call to walk once again along the dusty paths of the Basque Country and to travel the ancient pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago. A year ago I had despaired of finding a spiritual meaning to life. Coming to weekly service for worship has rekindled my interest in and passion for the spiritual life again.

I love the idea of a pilgrimage – because life is a journey – and while we can be certain of one thing only – that it will end – none of us can be sure what lies at the end of the journey – if anything. We travel sometimes in bright sunshine, sometimes in dark hail but we share the road and the journey – our certainties often dividing us, our common humanity, our doubts and anxieties uniting us.

I often wonder how I found the Camino – that ancient path that begins at the foot of the French Pyrenees and stretches for 800 km to the most westerly city in Spain – Santiago de Compostela. I sometimes think that, in a mystical way, it found me.

‘Santiago’ or Saint Iago - is St James, the patron saint of Spain, one of the original 12 apostles. According to legend he made his way to Spain in the first century to bring the good news to the Spaniards of the time, who may well have been Celts. According to the Legend, James returned to the holy land where he was beheaded by Herod. His body was put in an unmanned boat that made its way to the north of Spain and he was buried in Santiago de Compostela.

Compostela is the Spanish word for the seal on a passport. The successful pilgrim in the middle ages as today has their passport sealed in every town or village along the route with the final seal in Santiago.

My aim in May is modest – to travel a mere 160 km over 8 days – starting in St. Jean Pied de Port in France and travelling via Pamplona to Logrono. I will be accompanied in this walk by my son Dan, my cousin Norman who travelled with me in 2008 and a friend Barry who joined me in 2006 and another friend Pat who is collecting for an orphanage he visited while working in Haiti last year.

I will be collecting for an Irish charity called Haven. I have chosen Haiti because it has been forgotten in the 14 months since the terrible earthquake. I have chosen Haven because I know the founders – Carmel and Leslie Buckley from Dalkey and I know they do great work and have a fantastic team on the ground.


Most people walk the Camino for spiritual rather than religious reasons. I am somewhere in the middle. I am looking forward to spending some quiet minutes every day reflecting on the Quaker queries for consideration. I hope to find that of God in every pilgrim I meet. I will try to remember our friends in Haiti who are still struggling to rebuild their lives and their homes after the hurricane. I will try and raise 5,000 euro which will build an earthquake proof home for a family which they might choose to call Santiago!

I have a Haven tee shirt, recycled from last year, which I will wear every day on my journey. I just hope we find a laundry on the way.

I would be delighted if, upon reflection, you decide to sponsor me. It means, if nothing else, I will have to finish the journey... There is no collection today or one planned. If people wish to help they can contact me over the next few months, or indeed wait until I return, if I do return….

Five years ago I thought I might bring the heaviest ruck sack ever to Spain, and I succeeded. This year my plan is to bring the lightest. I might get Ryanair to sponsor me. I think I will write to Michael O Leary. I will tell you how I get on.

Dearest Friends I hope you will follow my progress through Spain through my blog or in spirit through your thoughts and prayers. I will be happy to discuss the journey over a cup of tea which is very welcome and now overdue.

One step nearer

Our little team is taking shape. We expect to have at least four pilgrims commence the walk in St Jean Pied De Port on May 16th. My son Dan may join us via Barcelona (some short cut..)and my cousin Norman may keep us company as far as Pamplona. All in all it seems a nice number - small enough to be intimate, and varied enough to be interesting. Pat is hoping to raise money for an orphanage he visited while working briefly in Haiti. My wife is undecided whether to give her contribution to Dan or to me, but as it goes to same cause it doesn't really matter.

I popped into town to meet the nice people of Haven today. I missed Angela who had informed she would be out working, but met Sara who gave me tee shirts (has medium shrunk or am I expanding?!). Frank explained to me what was happneing on the ground in Haiti. Louise suggested we start a blog. On that matter we are a little ahead of the posse (for once) and hopefully we can bag some nice photos en route.

Those of the party approaching or exceeding the golden age of 60 (our average age is not far from 55 despite Dan being half that) feel we may have aged 10 years since our last assault 5 years ago. Accordingly we have plans to go into serious training - I will organise some walks around Howth and Greystones to whip us into shape. We can wear our Haven tee shirts to frighten off the dogs.

The Murrays will host a farewell party for pilgrims and supporters on Saturday 14th of May when Spanish food and wine will be provided in anticipation of the lack of food and wine in the days that will follow. We plan a reunion and thanksgiving to coincide with my 60th Birthday, on July 28th. Invitees will include anyone who still owes us sponsorship.

I am pleased to note that I received my first sum of money during the week from Philip. On hearing my story, Niall cycled back to offer me sponsorship. Two down, ninety eight to go...

We may run a quiz night to raise funds. We will entertain any other ideas that make money or more importantly raise the profile of Haiti.

We will probably have even fewer friends at the end of this episode of shaking them down. We are concerned that world has moved on from Haiti to other problems, some nearer home. Hopefully, by the time we reach the end of the walk we will know a little more about Haiti, about Spain and about ourselves.

Hasta Pronto!

Camino de Santiago - here we come!!

Camino de Santiago May 2011

Alea iacta est – the dice has been thrown – we have crossed the Rubicon

After six months wrestling with the idea of walking the Camino in 2011 – of walking the Northern Route, of walking the entire Camino Frances, of cycling, of being escorted, of being guided – I have made my decision. I have booked my plane tickets. Unlike Lot’s wife, there will be no looking back! I will start in France in St. Jean Pied de Port, travel through Pamplona, where I began a walk five years ago, and finish in Logrono our penultimate stop in 2006. All in all it’s a good walk of 160k – closer to 200k when adjusted for height and drink taken the night before.

I am flying out of Dublin courtesy of Mr. Michael O Leary (Ryanair) to Biarritz at midday of Monday 16th May and returning courtesy of Aer Lingus on Thursday 26th May DV (Deo volente...).

I have decided to raise money for an Irish Charity working in Haiti, called the Haven Partnership, chaired by Leslie Buckley who is a director of Digicel, one of the few companies making a difference in Haiti. The distance is approx 160km and I will ask people to sponsor me at 10c per km, or 16 euro. I intend following the progress of Haven on their excellent Blog http://www.havenontheground.blogspot.com/ . I may cover the journey on this blog en route, technology permitting.

Haven builds excellent low cost housing for the people of Haiti. Haven believes that by giving a family a roof over their heads, they can give people their pride back again. Haven is also training the local people to be able construct the houses themselves and pass on the technology to others.

Armed with the excellent guide to the Camino written by Johnny Brierley I have been planning my route. Johnny was a director of an auctioneering firm in Dublin in the seventies and early eighties before turning his back on Mammon and heading for the commune of Findhorn in Northern Scotland. Findhorn sounds like a fantastic community where people work for a living in sustainable jobs (no navel gazing, it would appear).

Here is the proposed itinerary:

Day 1 Fly to Biarritz. Take the bus to Jean Pied to Port. Remember not to eat or drink too much!
Day 2 Set out on the hardest stage - over the Pyrenees following the route of Napoleon – 24km but 30km adjusted for climb of 3,500 feet – I hope it’s not snowing!!
Day 3 Downhill from Roncesvalles to Larrasoana 27km – adjusted for climb 29km – not all downhill – obviously
Day 4 Gentle walk to Pamplona 16km
Day 5 Recover in Pamplona. I enjoyed my last visit to Pamplona in 2006 – a bit too much! At least this time we don’t have to try and wake the Cathedral sacristan to get a –‘passport’ or Credencial (hence the name). Pamplona is a good partying town, so early to bed.
Day 6 Another tough walking day to one of my favorite little towns – Puente La Reina – with a high pointb of 2,600 ft – 25km – adjusted for height – 29km. Puente la Reina is town with a Roman bridge where numerous Spanish trails meet and join on their way to faraway Santiago in the gentle green hills of Galicia.
Day 7 We leave the Province of Navarra and make our way to the little town of Estella. Did we see a corrida (bull stampede) the last time? Barry may help me out on this one. A modest 22km – 23.5km adjusted for height.
Day 8 We journey to another pretty town – Los Arcos - a distance of 21 kms (23km adjusted), passing through Villamayor de Monjardin.
Day 9 – Final walk – finishing with a big one – 29.4km to the city of Logrono – passing the marvelous and historic town of Viana
Day 10 – spent in either Logrono, quite nice, or Bilbao – more interesting.
Day 11 – Return to Ireland on the afternoon flight.

I hope as many people can join me for some or all of the way as possible. Some will want to support their own charities, some will support Haven and some may support none. Just because I am mad doesn’t mean that others have to follow.

A great website to join and find out more about the Camino is www.caminodesantiago.me/board . I get an e-mail every morning at 6.00am. It is worth waking up to.

I propose to make the pilgrimage as civilized as possible. I found out Day 1 in 2006 that there is an excellent taxi service where for 10 euro a day they will bring your bag ahead to your evening destination. As before I intend to stay in one and two star hotels or guesthouses. I know true pilgrims stay in hostels and snore and wash socks together. I simply don’t want humanity to suffer too much at my expense.

I am looking forward to meeting other mad people (pilgrims) en route and where possible some of the locals. It is a very demanding and daunting itinerary but I would like to smell the roses too. Like Paulo Coelho I hope to find my literary and spiritual voice. Unlike Paulo who has no interest in retracing his camino steps - I am looking forward to seeing familiar places again. I just hope the reality lives up to my fond memories.

In conclusion

Air travel - planned and paid for
Itinerary - agreed, just about
Credencial - try and find edition 2006 or write to Society of St James
Companions - to be pressed ganged
Fund raising - to begin
Hotel booking - over the next few weeks
Physical training - starting Weds in Tenerife 4 hours a day
Spiritual exercises - Mainly Quaker spirituality – starting tomorrow!
Ambition - to fund the building of a house to be named 'Santiago' (cost c Euro 5,000)
Dedication Kevin A Murray 30th Nov 1920 – 9th January 1980

All suggestions will be welcome!

The Irish and the Camino

My cousin Norman and I enjoyed a 'camino fest' on Sunday 25th of July - the feastday of St. James and a very big day in Santiago de Compostela when the Feast of St. Iago/St. James falls on a Sunday. Coincidentally being the last Sunday in July it is Reek Sunday when Croagh Patrick is climbed.

The excellent day was organised by the professional team at www.followthecamino.com who are based in Ireland. We met at the Church of St James beside Guinness' brewery just as Mass was finishing for the Friends of St James. This coincidence gave rise to some confusion as the Friends battled their way into the Church Hall at the side and fought their way to the top table for a drink of tea in polystyrene cups. Bewildered Camino enthusiasts added to the crowd and to the confusion. I may subscribe to the society through their website www.stjamesirl.com.

A remarkably dressed Robert Poynton got our attention with a megaphone that at times worked. He had his coamino gear, his shell/scallop, a staff, ruck sack, all-season hat. I caught him for a few words before we started our tour of Medieval Dublin. He recommended the Portuguese Route. He hopes to walk the Northern Route in September - so hopefully I can follow his travels on the excellent followthecamino website.

We must have numbered two hundred pilgrims as we swelled the footpaths of Dublin. Our trip took us to St James Church, St James Gate,St Catherine's Church and Park, St. Augustine's Church, St Johns Hospital (the first in Ireland), City Wall and Gate, St Audoen's Church, Christ Church, Fishamble St and Bank of Ireland College Green. There is so much of Dublin I have passed hundreds of time without stopping to look over the wall or though the door.

We made our way to the conference hall in Trinity College where tea and coffee and lots and lots of chocolate biscuits awaited the hungry pilgrims. The conference was introduced by the amiable French founder of followthecamino Jeremy Perrin.

The first speaker was a director of the Waterford Museum of Treasures. He spoke at length about the Crusades, about Waterford and managed to get a word in about the camino before heading off on his holidays. Bon voyage! Or should I say Buen Camino.

The second presenter was Colm Bradbury, self titled 'adventurer' who sailed on the Jeanie Johnson from Dingle to La/A Coruna in 2007. Up to about 400 years ago Dingle was an important departure point for pilgrims to Santiago. Colm and his fellow Pilgrims competed the journey in 5 days to A Coruna and made the 3 day (75km )walk to Santiago.

The final presenter was David Clark, a Scot who is living in A Coruna for 30 years and is a lecturer in the local university. He gave a very interesting perspective on Galician Identity, in its struggle for Independence, for its literature and language and its close parallel with the Irish Experience.

The conference closed with a reception in the marvellous dining hall of Trinity College where the sandwiches were plentiful and wine was dispensed in a miserly fashion as at a wine tasting evening. Not drinking alcohol, it did not really bother me.

Norman and I made our way the Yellow Pancake restaurant (?) on Dawson Street which was closing just as we ordered our coffees. I shared with him my thoughts on Richard Dawkins and the Quakers and he displayed his thoughtful and very broad and well researched ideas.

We are germinating an idea of attacking the camino next May. Onwards and upwards. Sursum Corda.

Always begin at the end

I am not sure when it all started or how I first tripped over the Camino de Santiago.

I began researching the Camino around 1995. I borrowed some books from Michael O'Reilly the genial founder of Windsor Motors. Michael had walked the Camino perhaps ten times.. I thought I might walk the camino in March 1996. With very little research I wandered into the Joe Walsh Travel shop on Baggot Street one lunchtime in early January with a view to booking my passage.


The attractive young woman behind the desk was knowledgeable and widely travelled. She pointed out that it could be snowing in the north of Spain in March. 'Where could I go in Europe that was sunny?' I wondered. She pointed out that the Canaries were the only part of Europe that had guaranteed sunshine - mainly because the Canaries were not in Europe. While politically they formed part of Spain and therefore Europe, geographically they were just off Morocco although not part of the African subcontinent.

'But where in the Canaries?' I asked. She recommended Tenerife - she had stayed the previous year in a lovely complex called Parque Santiago in the popular resort of Las Americas in the south of Tenerife. www.parquesantiago.com. That evening after a game of squash with Ian I produced the brochure and we there and then decided we would travel to Parque Santiago for two weeks commencing around March 17th.

Our flight was delayed leaving Dublin so we stayed in the bar drinking Guinness and watching a boxing match - it may even have been Barry McGuigan. We arrived in Tenerife about 4.00 am in the morning and got to our hotel around 6.00 am just as the sun was rising. Too excited to go to bed we jumped straight into the swimming pool you see in the picture above. And so started a love affair with Tenerife that has grown more passionate with every year that passes.

Eight years after my first visit to Tenerife Lorraine and I bought a studio apartment in Parque Santiago IV next door to Parque Santiago III where Ian and I had spent two weeks in 1996 armed with squash rackets. Amazingly it was to take a further few years before the coincidence dawned on me.

The emblem for Parque Santiago is not unsurprisingly the scallop shell. The scallop adorns the walls and the promotional literature. Between Blocks III and IV there is a statue to St Iago - Santiago. The builder developer and majority owner of the two complexes is Don Emilio from Santiago de Compostela.

My attempt to travel to 'grande' Santiago in Spain resulted in my travelling to and buying an apartment in 'small' Santiago in Tenerife. I don't believe in coincidences anymore! In 2006 I travelled with a friend to Spain to attempt to walk for a week along the real Camino. We walked for a week from Pamplona towards Logrono and beyond. In 2008 I travelled to Santiago to Compostela and spent some time walking the Finisterre Route with my cousin who coincidentally had been doing the Camino around the same time abd loacation in 2006!

Next year I hope to do justice to the Northern Route which was the original route. It skirts the lovely Northern Coast of Spain. Hopefully this blog is the first step in my travelling there!