World-walking
Anna Harrington got a big welcome today from pupils of both CPC and Scoil Bhride, as she visited the town to help highlight a critical clean water shortage for almost a billion people,
writes Brian Byrne.
Also meeting her was Deputy Martin Heydon, to whom she handed a letter for Foreign Minister Simon Coveney. The letter asked the Minister to make sure Ireland fulfils its commitment to the 17 global Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. The provision of clean water and sanitation to all is goal number six.
"If we could fix that, among other things it would empty about half the hospital beds in the world, because that's the amount of people who are hospitalised due to diseases from bad water. I'm asking every government to increase their aid for water projects."
Local musician Peter Moloney played some Irish and American music on the church organ, finishing with a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the American national anthem. The morning ended with tea and biscuits in Kilcullen Heritage Centre, at which local resident Susan Rusk read a poem about water, 'Blessings', and Nessa Dunlea read a local poem about the benefits which nature has bestowed on Kilcullen.
Anna leaves Ireland next week for Spain and France ... but she'll be back in Ireland in September to do some more walking here before heading east through Europe to continue her treks, eventually hoping to go through Russia, Kazakstan, Mongolia and China.
Kilcullen Diary Policy on Photographs.
