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Dympna Heron - Talking the talk and walking the walk.

Dympna Heron, from Stewartstown, has been a busy woman in recent years, with her involvement in a range of local community initiatives.

Currently she is flat out, as they say, helping organise the Coalisland Camino which takes place on Sunday, August 16.

It was the brainchild of Feargal O'Donnell, the Manager of Coalisland Community Hub & Foodbank.

Another group most connected with the walk is 'Friends 2 Talk' that meets and walks regularly in order to offer mental and physical wellbeing to participants.
The history and origin of the groups, which have many overlaps, is all explained in the podcast!

The Coalisland Camino is based on the famous Camino de Santiago that stretches across Portugal, Spain and France and is renowned for helping bring pilgrims to a mindset of peace, oneness and spiritual awareness.

The Coalisland Camino as well, provides wonderful booklets with explanations and depictions of local historical landmarks, mythology, wildlife... and is stamped at locations along the scenic 26.4km route.
Over 200 people from all over Ireland took part in the first walk last summer.

This time there will also be booklets available in the Irish language as well as Irish speaking volunteers at the various stations and refreshment stops.

Dympna also recalls the setting up of Friends 2 Talk in 2019 following a number of tragic deaths.

Then came the dreadful Covid lockdown in 2020, when boxes of food and goods were delivered to those 'sheltering' and the realisation that many in the locality were struggling financially, some actually in work but unable to meet rising costs.

This eventually resulted in the Communty Hub and Foobank as it is today. Based in St Patrick’s Hall, Coalisland, it confidentiality helps struggling families and has a range of schemes including the school uniform exchange and the Christmas hamper appeal.

Oh! There's was also the fascinating 400 year enactment of the Flight of the Earls embarked on by Dympna and others in costumes of that time (1607), and we explain why Tullyhogue Fort with its most significant history is well worth a visit.

There's a lot in this podcast!
It brings home the great community work being done and the decency of local people towards their neighbours.
Dympna Heron - a busy woman!

* Contacts for the various organisations are on the podcast and their Facebook pages.