Patricia takes on 130-mile walk in memory of late husband

Patricia takes on 130-mile walk in memory of late husband

15 May 2019

A DOWNPATRICK woman aims to walk nearly 130 miles to raise £10,000 to aid vital cancer research in memory of her late husband.

Patricia Watterson will start her 208km walk from her husband Pat’s beloved Kilclief GAC to Croke Park on Sunday, May 26.

The retired primary school principal, father of seven children and grandfather of 13 grandchildren died last June at the age of 79.

He had first battled leukaemia in 2012, only to be diagnosed with bowel cancer shortly before he died.

Pat was married to Patricia, also a former primary school teacher, for nearly 50 years.

Patricia is no stranger to long-distance walking, having walked from Malin Head to Mizen Head for Marie Curie in 2008, Dublin to Galway in 2012 for Cancer Research and from Dublin to Derry for Leukaemia Research in 2013. She walks the Santiago de Camino in Spain every year as well.

“Pat would have been 80 on May 28 and we would have been married 50 years on April 8 past,” said Patricia. 

“I wanted to do something that was connected to him and the two places closest to his heart were Kilclief where he was on the GAA club committee for years, and of course he loved Croke Park and would have been there at a of a hat,” said Patricia.

“His year anniversary is also on June 16 and I wanted the walk to mark that as well and I will be home again long before that.”

Pat was a highly regarded sportsman and was well-known throughout the district.

He had a lifelong love of Gaelic games and once captained the Downpatrick Russell Gaelic Union’s senior team. However, it was as principal of St Malachy’s Primary School in Kilclief (St Malachy’s Primary) principal that Pat became involved in the local GAA club. He was particularly involved with the development of juvenile players in hurling and football. He was also a highly regarded basketball player in his day and played Ardglass Sharks.

Patricia, who is in her 70s, added: “Pat was known to many and a man with many names — Granda Pat, the Master, Big P, Pedro, and of course, Dad. He was so many things to so many people. But the common threads were the care and respect that he showed to everyone he met — no matter their age, background or club colours they wore.

“He was devoted to Gaelic games all his life – he became a member of the county hurling board, the local Féile committee, and the Cumann na mBunscol organisation, making many lifelong friends across the county. It didn’t matter to Pat what club you were affiliated with — when you put on the jersey, you gave it your all.”

Patricia will be joined on the walk by her and Pat’s good friend, Francie Morgan, also from Downpatrick. 

She hopes to walk about 13-14 miles a day and will be supported by a group of friends along the way, who will either provide overnight accommodation or drive her back to home at night during the early stages of the walk. 

The couple’s children — Michael, Anne, Paul, Richard, Elizabeth, David and Andrew — are also fully supporting their mother’s efforts. 

“Thanks to clinical research, funded by Cancer Research UK, Pat enjoyed six good years of life on a trial drug, years when he lived life to the full so it makes sense for me to raise money in order to help others,” added Patricia.

To support Patricia’s 208km mile work to Croke Park please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/patricia-watterson1.