NATHAN'S WALK: Denis and Marie O'Carroll launched 'Nathan's Walk ' Darkness into Light in memory of their son Nathan, in Reidy's Killarney. Picture: Eamonn Keogh

By Sean Moriarty

Organisers of the annual ‘Nathan’s Walk’ Darkness into Light event will open registration desks at Killarney Racecourse from 3pm today (Friday).

The annual walk, which gets underway at 4.15am on Saturday morning raises funds for self-harm charity Pieta House.

Nathan’s Walk was the first such event outside Dublin, but Darkness into Light is now a worldwide event.

The local walk was founded by Marie O’Carroll who lost her son Nathan to suicide in 2007, when he was aged 14.

To-date over €350,000 has been raised for the charity by participants in the local event.

Already over 800 people have signed up online but Marie will take walk-in entries too and that is why she is opening registration at the racecourse from 3pm today.

“We will be there until around 9pm for anyone who wants to register,” she told the Killarney Advertiser. “After that we will go home for a lie down before returning again at 1am to get it all organised.”

The 5k walk follows its traditional route from the racecourse, via Ross Castle, along the lake shore walk and back to the racecourse where refreshments will be served to all participants.

Darkness into Light is a worldwide event, with walks taking place in hundreds of locations, each of them starting at 4.15am local time.

London will host two events for the first time and both of them are organised by Killarney people.

Tara Cronin has been the chair of the Cricklewood event since its inception five years ago. A new walk this year will take place at the London Irish Rugby Club’s training ground at Hazelwood and is being organised by Liam Kearney.

“Being a Killarney man myself we will strive at our newly established Hazelwood walk to mirror the fantastic fundraising work and support being generated by our own Killarney woman Tara Cronin at the north-west London Walk venue,” Liam said.