Brexit deadline call aids Ireland
THE Tanaiste is right to back UK requests to extend the Brexit deadline as there is every chance a deal will not be struck.
Simon Coveney is also spot on to describe the utterings of the Tory hard right as “bravado” when Britain is making plans to stockpile food and medicine in the event of its Brussels split.
While most hardliners understand the fallout of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, the consequences of such a scenario could also have dire consequences for Ireland.
All sides have a duty to reach an agreement and if that cannot be achieved within the allotted time the deadline must be extended.
FORMER Ulster Rugby player Stephen Bell has just finished walking 600 miles across Ireland – in his bare feet. And he said the epic trek was “the most brutal and rewarding experience of my life”.
The 42-year-old, who was on the 1999 European Cup winning squad, added: “It was an incredible experience, a very spiritual, uplifting and personal experience but the mission for me was to share the beauty of Ireland and overcoming adversity.
“There were times I did not think I could do it. On day four I did not think I was going to make it home, I was a mess, tears and just everything.”
The dad of one, from Upper Ballinderry, Co Antrim, used the challenge to show people the importance of connecting with nature and the beauty on our own doorstep. He was also raising money for the Northern Ireland Forest School Association.
He set off from Castletownbere in West Cork on June 30 and followed the Ireland Way for 23 gruelling days – rising at 5.30am and walking until between 6pm and 9pm – before he reached Ballintoy on the North Antrim coast. He used social media to document his ups and downs along the 600-mile route.
Stephen, who runs the forest retreat facility Wildfoot near Lisburn, said: “I did it all barefoot, I did came off the trail at points due to the terrain underfoot but 95% of the time I followed the trail. It was the most brutal yet rewarding experience of my life, it was horrendous from a physical and mental perspective but coming through the adversity is the key to building strength.
“Moving into my 40s and having had a very combative sports career, I wanted to challenge myself and I was considering taking up a challenge.
“The idea to do this barefoot came from having a love of this land and exploring identity North and South. I travelled all over the country with my parents as a kids and fell in love with it then and also my rugby career meant I saw a lot of it.
“But this time I wanted to see if from a different perspective and have an adventure. The first week was brutally hot, but I would not have swapped it for rain, the hot tar on the road meant I left footprints in the road.
“My feet were peeling and burning from the heat and then there was glass, thistles, thorns to contend with. I trained very heavily for this over a couple of years, very specific training.
“I had everything from being bitten by a dog to being chased by dogs, bulls and bullocks. Food and water was difficult at times because along the trail a lot of the villages were really quite rural and isolated so I didn’t have a lot of options.
“I wild camped the whole time apart from two nights and carrying everything was a challenge. If you had too much water and food then it had an impact on your feet walking and then if you didn’t have enough you wouldn’t have the energy.
“I didn’t always get it right. I finished on Sunday, I had given myself 30 days to do it but I did it in 23. I ended up going faster because it was so brutal.
“I think I may have a stress fracture in my foot so I have to get an X-ray this week. Most people recommend doing that over 30-40 days, I did it in 23.”
So far Stephen has raised €4,275 for the charity but hopes to hit his target of €5,625 in the coming weeks.
He is also considering taking on a marathon barefoot in September.