Eamonn Keaveney (33) from Claremorris expected to reach Mayo by February after walking over 5,000 kilometres from Istanbul\n<\/p>\n
Mr Keaveney set off from Istanbul in March 2025 and has now covered 5,869 kilometres without footwear, a feat that saw him break the Guinness World Record for the longest barefoot walk last September at the Hungary-Austria border, to raise money and awareness for Friends of the Earth and Jigsaw.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old has set a fundraising target of \u20ac10,000 and has so far raised over \u20ac7,300. He is now expecting to arrive back in Claremorris in February.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great to be coming back to familiar territory – really feels like I’m on the home stretch and I’m more certain with every day that I’ll make it back to Claremorris,\u201d he said after arriving in Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m thrilled with the donations made to the fundraiser, especially given the cost of living crisis that so many are struggling with. It helps on difficult days to know that I’m not sort of needlessly struggling, but that there’s money and awareness being raised for an important cause! I’m optimistic about reaching the fundraising goal as well, which would be a real cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
His journey, which began on March 4, 2025, alongside his partner, Ellie, saw him traverse several countries in various weather conditions.<\/p>\n
He was offered shoes on several occasions but politely refused.<\/p>\n
In September, he broke the existing 3,409.75-metre world record for barefoot walking set by Polish endurance walker Pawel Durakiewicz.<\/p>\n
Mr Keaveney has been documenting the trek through daily posts on Instagram.<\/p>\n
Friends of the Earth chief executive Deirdre Duffy said the organisation was \u201cthrilled\u201d to see Keaveney reach the final leg of his journey.<\/p>\n
She described his walk as a reminder that climate action \u201ccan come in all shapes and sizes\u201d and praised his efforts to highlight both environmental and youth mental health issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the start of 2026, it\u2019s good to be reminded that there are incredible people doing incredible things like this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
This challenge is the latest in a series of long-distance barefoot walks. In 2016, he walked over 2,000 kilometres around Ireland to fundraise for suicide prevention charity, Pieta House.<\/p>\n
In 2018, he climbed ten mountains in ten days for the same charity.<\/p>\n
Then, in 2023, he set a record for travelling from Malin Head to Mizen Head on a unicycle in five days, five hours, and 23 minutes, to raise money for Simon Communities of Ireland.<\/p>\n
All proceeds from his latest walk will be evenly distributed between Friends of the Earth and Jigsaw.<\/p>\n