Polish hiking pilgrimage heading for Carrauntoohil

A 27-strong Polish hiking group left Dublin on Monday to begin a three-week, 500km trek across Ireland that will conclude in Killarney on September 15.

Organised by NINIWA—the youth ministry branch of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Poland—the ‘Eurotrip: West Coast Ireland’ expedition will see participants trek through the Wicklow Mountains, Mayo, Connemara, the Cliffs of Moher, and Kerry, before completing an ascent of Carrauntoohil.
The group travels “by faith”, carrying all equipment in backpacks without support vehicles or pre-booked accommodation, pitching tents wherever their daily route ends. Daily Mass is offered along the way with prayers dedicated to the young people of Europe.
Originally planned for New Zealand, the route was redirected to Ireland due to Middle East flight disruptions.
The expedition holds major personal significance for team leader Fr Dominik Ochlak OMI, who worked as a carpenter in Killarney before joining the priesthood. This trip marks his final expedition after nine years leading NINIWA’s hiking projects.
“For me, this journey is a return to my roots. I spent a very important chapter of my life in Ireland, in Killarney, where I lived and worked as a carpenter before becoming a priest. You could say that where everything once began, something is now coming to an end,” Fr Ochlak said.
“I truly believe this will be one of the most demanding—and at the same time one of the most beautiful—expeditions in NINIWA’s history,” he added.
NINIWA has run international expeditions for 20 years, with past groups covering 80,000km across 57 countries, including rides to Siberia, Norway, and Jerusalem.

Wicklow farmer Michael Keegan made a memorable stop at Killarney’s World Ploughing Monument on Friday during his 690km ‘Miles of Hope’ charity tractor run from Mizen Head to Malin Head.

Keegan is undertaking the six-day journey across Ireland behind the wheel of a fully restored Deutz D40L tractor.

The machine carries immense family history, as it is the exact tractor driven by his grandfather, Charlie Keegan, when he won the 12th World Ploughing Championship in Fuchsenbigl, Austria, in September 1964.

The stop at the Mission Road monument created a special link between two landmark moments in agricultural history, connecting Charlie Keegan’s 1964 victory with Killarney’s own historic role as host of the 1954 World Contest—the very first held on European soil.

The 1954 event in Killarney also made history by introducing female competitors to the international stage, crowning Northern Ireland’s Hugh Barr as men’s champion and establishing the inaugural ‘Farmerette’ class.

Beyond honoring his family’s deep roots in Irish agriculture, Keegan’s trek is focused on raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention charities Pieta and 3TS.

“Sadly, suicide continues to be a tragedy that is all too common in rural farming communities,” Keegan said during his stop. “My main aim is to raise awareness about the help available for anyone who finds themselves in a crisis. Help starts in the community, and my hope is that this journey encourages everyone to be open to speaking about suicide if they’re in trouble. This is a special tractor with a lot of history, and it is fitting to use it to give back.”