Skateboarding along the Wild Atlantic Way has been much more than a story of wind and rain, cliff edges and coastal paths for Becky Gilmour.
This is a deeply personal journey for the 26-year-old from Limerick. She has lost two close friends to suicide. One of her friends died during the pandemic and she and he used to spend hours skating together.
“I found his death very difficult to navigate and I’ve also had my own mental health struggles with depression and anxiety,” Gilmour says.
“So I began to think a healthy way to feel close to him and deal with the grief and sense of loneliness would be to set a good challenge for myself.”
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She set off skating from Kinsale on June 1st – whilst carrying her tent and all her gear on her back most of the time to raise awareness and money for suicide prevention for the Samaritans.
The mammoth 2,600km (1,615 miles) – and counting – challenge has proven to be much more also than a journey of swollen knees and aching ankles, occasional falls and loosening wheels.
The unfolding magic of the dramatic land and seascapes, the silence of starlit nights, a sudden squall hitting her tent or, indeed, a swarm of midges attacking her, have all contributed to the healing power of solitude in nature. Not that she has been alone all of the time: there has been constant support from friends and strangers alike, she says.
[ Suicide most common cause of death among people aged 15 to 34Opens in new window ]
“I’ve been offered accommodation when the weather is bad, hot dinners, bars of chocolate, a shuttle service and, most importantly, safety supports as I move through remote places,” Gilmour says.
“And my friend Adam has accompanied me to the islands along the way, teaching me to SUP (stand up paddle) on one leg of our voyages,” she says. “The islands have been so special even if I had a bad fall way back in the beginning on Bere.
“I was bombing over a hill because there were no cars and assuming I’d come to a natural halt, but the hill was steeper than I thought, so I had to bail off the board or I would have hit a wall,” she recalls.
“I had my backpack on and it was very heavy so I slid and managed to scrape and bruise myself from shoulder to ankle.”
Becky Gilmour’s positivity is palpable over five months into her journey. (That translates in skateboard time as circa 100km a week when the weather has been benign.)
In fact, she has just skated “in terrible conditions” from the seaside village of Strandhill into Sligo town and is warming up in a cafe over a strong coffee.
“In terms of the day-to-day, I’ve been really making it up as I go along. I didn’t train very much beforehand and I wasn’t very fit. So it continues to be a matter of take each day as it comes, because some days are really hilly and other days might be flatter and the wind may better.
“It’s just stop when I’m tired and set up camp along the way. As long as I’m moving forward is kind of my goal since, like so many other people, I’ve been in that place where there seems to be no way forward. But I’m doing much better now,” she says.
Despite the rain and wind, this is another good day for Gilmour, who has just had her board repaired.
“The outdoor shop Call of the Wild here in Sligo has just given me a new backpack and a tent, which I couldn’t believe. I said to them one or the other would be amazing but they insisted on giving me both and, frankly, they will be so helpful in this tough weather,” says Gilmour.
Indeed, she is also highlighting the power of hope and resilience by painting a mural in each county she travels through.
Gilmour, whose family moved to Co Down when she was seven years old, taught herself how to paint during the pandemic whilst studying for a degree in creative and professional writing in Bangor University, Wales.
Weather permitting Gilmour now hopes to complete her challenge by Christmas and is very grateful for all the financial support via the Samaritans’ Just Giving page.
Her web page states: “I can’t change the past, and the loved ones I’ve lost, but I’d like to try and help make a positive impact on the future, helping to break the taboo around suicide and mental illness, and helping to bring us together as a community to provide better support to those struggling.”
A Samaritans Ireland spokeswoman welcomed Gilmour’s endeavours. Recent CSO figures just published recorded that there were 453 deaths from suicide in the Republic in 2023.
Praising Gilmour’s efforts, the Samaritans Ireland spokeswoman said: “These kind of quirky challenges not only raise funds but they raise awareness of our service with groups of people who would not necessarily know about the Samaritans or how to seek help.”
Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie
