A GALWAY barman has raised more than £100,000 for a suicide-prevention charity after walking 5,000 miles across Britain.
Colm Farrell completed his epic journey through each of the 86 counties in England, Scotland and Wales last week when he strolled into Cornwall.
It brought to an end an incredible journey that began last July, just four months after he walked through each of the 32 counties in Ireland.
“It is amazing to have finally finished,” Mr Farrell told The Irish Post.
“But what is more amazing is to have met so many people across Britain who have gotten behind the cause of suicide awareness.”
The determined rambler has been raising money for Console, an Irish suicide-prevention charity with a London office and plans to expand into Leeds.
When Mr Farrell set off on his walk he worried about how he would find a bed for each night as he would be relying on strangers to open up their homes to him.
But thanks to the “incredible generosity” of people up and down Britain who invited him to spend the night at their house, he was only forced to pitch a tent on just one occasion.
Those offers of shelter paved the way for some incredible experiences, including coincidental meetings with long-lost family and friends.
But Mr Farrell also met a number of people during his journey who experienced heart-breaking loss due to suicide.
Included among them was an Irishman in Wales who left Ireland after six relatives took their own lives.
“He came to Britain because he felt like he was going to end up being the next on the list if he stayed in Ireland,” Mr Farrell explained.
“He just couldn’t cope. He had to get out.”
While Mr Farrell has received emails asking him to put his conviction to the ultimate test by walking across the US, he told The Irish Post he is hanging up his walking boots to write a book about his experiences instead.
He also plans to lobby politicians in Britain and Ireland to adopt a message close to his heart – that those suffering mental illness need more than medication to recover.
Explaining his conviction that more money must be put into counselling, he explained: “I have met hundreds and hundreds of people who are taking anti-depressants and I always ask them three questions.
“The first is: When your doctor first prescribed you anti-depressants, did he or she tell you it would be short-term? Every single answer I have ever gotten to that was yes.
“The next question I ask is: How long have you been taking anti-depressants? I have gotten answers to that from six weeks to 25 years.
“Then the last question I ask them is: So tell me, when was the last time your doctor told you it was time to come off the medication? And I have never come across one person who has been told that.”
He added: “That is the problem. Doctors are telling people it will be short-term but are ending up handing out medication for the long-term because these people need more than medication.”
If you or someone you know is suffering suicidal thoughts, call Console’s British helpline on 0207 6300 824.
For the full interview with Mr Farrell, read this week’s Irish Post, out tomorrow.
