Hotelier walking from Cork to Mayo in honour of late wife's memory
On Tuesday Niall Rochford, managing director of Ashford Castle, met supporters at UCC's Honan Chapel to start a 250km walk to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. Picture: Daragh McSweeney/Provision.
Well-known hotelier Niall Rochford set off from UCC this week for a walk which will see him traverse five counties to honour his late wife.
On Tuesday the managing director of Ashford Castle met supporters at UCC's Honan Chapel to start the 250km walk to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.
Mr Rochford’s Cork-born wife Stella died of the disease in her 50s, just eight weeks after diagnosis.
To raise awareness, he will retrace her life’s journey, which started in Cork where she was born and studied and ended in Cong, Co Mayo where Mr Rochford is manager of Ashford Castle, where they raised their family and where Stella is now laid to rest.
Pancreatic cancer claims the lives of five in every six people diagnosed in Ireland each year. In February this year, Mr Rochford co-founded a new charity, Pancreatic Cancer Ireland to raise awareness and funds.
Starting at 10am each morning, Niall will walk in Stella’s footsteps, and he has already received video messages of support from celebrities Dermot Kennedy and Katie Taylor.
The Cork portion will see him travel from UCC to Mourneabbey, Doneraile and Charleville. He will also visit Limerick, Clare and Galway before ending his trip on Saturday November 8, in Mayo.
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