Limerick’s Johnny Gaynor completes 800 km fundraiser Camino walk in memory of his late wife Catherine

Limerick’s Johnny Gaynor completes 800 km fundraiser Camino walk in memory of his late wife Catherine

Johnny Gaynor has completed an 800 km walk along the Camino de Santiago, raising funds for three charities, in memory of his wife, Catherine, who passed away from motor neurone disease (MND) last October

Johnny Gaynor’s trek, from Irun to Santiago de Compostela, had initially set a target of €5,000 to raise funds for three charities, the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association (IMNDA), and Limerick charities Milford Care Centre and Cliona’s Foundation.

Writing a heartfelt message to his supporters on his iDonate page, Johnny explained he was walking the Northern Route of the Camino, “in memory of my beautiful wife Catherine who passed away from MND in October 23”.

The Limerick man encouraged supporters to donate with all funds going directly to the three great causes.

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The walk, which Johnny began in early September, was a trip his wife had planned before her death, speaking with Joe Nash on Limerick’s Live 95fm, Johnny said his wife, “wanted to give something back to all the people who helped her”.

The Limerick man said he wasn’t fit before taking on the walk, but determined to honour his wife’s wish, he took on the longest route of the Camino to raise awareness for MND while raising funds for the charities.

With more than €2,500 raised online and a further €5,400 raised through offline donations, the current amount raised stands at €7,916 as of Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

The local community as well as his colleagues at Tesco rallied around Johnny to help raise the funds for the charities, with a lot of donations also coming from Spain through a cousin living in Lanzarote.

The Limerick community has rallied around Johnny’s efforts, with donations pouring in from local supporters, his colleagues at Tesco, and friends in Lanzarote.

He explains this isn’t the first fundraiser organised by his late wife, in May 2022 the couple took off from Malin Head with a wheelchair, a bike, and a car, making the 2,500km trek down the Wild Atlantic Way to Kinsale, raising more than €9,000 for IMND and the Children’s Hospital.

Johnny was expected to reach Santiago de Compostela by October 7 but completed the walk days ahead of schedule; fundraising is still open through his iDonate page as Johnny hopes to raise as much as possible for the three worthy causes.