87 year old walks 100km to raise funds for cancer research

(Above) Michael Connolly getting a garda escort around St Anne's Park last Sunday. His Mullingar based daughter Breege Flattery is in the centre of the photo.

An 87 year old great-grandfather is walking 100km to raise funds for cancer research.

Michael Connolly decide that he would undertake his sponsored walk after his Mullingar based daughter Breege Flattery was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

Weather permitting, Dublin based Monaghan native Michael puts on his runners and goes for a walk in St Anne's Park in Raheny or Dollymount Strand every day. Last Sunday Breege, her daughter Charlene, who set up a GoFundMe page for her grandad, and other family members joined Michael for 12km around St Anne's Park, his longest walk to date. To make the day even more special, he was given a garda escort.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Breege said that last Sunday's walk was particularly memorable as she hadn't seen her parents for three months.

“He is well into into it [the 100km target]. He goes out in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon and expects to be finished by Saturday week.”

Long distance events are not new to Michael, who worked as a mechanic before his retirement. Active all his life, around 30 years ago he ran the Dublin City Marathon in just over four hours.

While he says that his walking pace these days is more like the tortoise than the hare, he is enjoying the challenge. He is also thankful that he is fit and healthy enough to raise funds for a cause close to his heart.

"I made a promise to myself to do it, and I always keep my promises," he says.

Michael's fundraising efforts have certainly struck a chord with people. At the time of writing over €4,500 had been donated to his GoFundMe page, far exceeding his €1,000 goal.