Reverend gets walking boots on

A Carrigaline clergyman has embarked on a 100km pilgrimage to raise funds to improve the lives of people living in poverty in Burundi in east Africa.

This month Reverend Tony Murphy, who visited Burundi in 2019, will visit each of the 22 Church of Ireland parishes in the Cork diocese, walking at least 5km in each area and collecting sponsorship along the way.

Reverend Murphy will be joined by the local rector, parishioners and other supporters in each parish throughout the pilgrimage which coincides with Christian Aid Week which running from 10-16 May.

His long journey began this month at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral where he was waved off by Bishop of Cork The Right Reverend Dr Paul Colton.

Speaking as he set out on his 100 km walk, Rev Tony Murphy said: “The commitment of the diocese to help establish three cooperatives and bring them to a level where they are self-sustaining was hugely appreciated by the people in Burundi, a people with spirit and resilience who are working hard to move from subsistence living.”

In October 2019, Rev Murphy travelled with Christian Aid to see for himself how the support of his diocese was enabling farmers in Burundi to move from subsistence farming, where they grow food to survive, to a business model where they grow food for sale.