HAVING set off last Thursday Thursday from Malin Head, Pat Murphy, a teacher and father of four from Galway is currently on route by tractor to Mizen Head, a 2,800km trek along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way in a bid to raise money for the people of Gaza.
Pat’s vintage tractor can only reach a top speed of 24 kph, so the trek is expected to take about two weeks, whereas a modern vehicle would do it in about eight hours.
“It will be a long journey, but for a very worthy cause,” said Pat, who teaches woodwork at Wesley College Dublin and lives in Kildare with his family.
The tractor is a 62 year old David Brown 50 that has been fully restored but it has no power steering, no suspension and no cabin. “There’ll be plenty of fresh air,” he said “and if it rains sure I’ll just get wet,” he added.
“And I’ll have an extra cushion for comfort which I’ll be glad of,” he said.
Braving the elements
Of braving the elements and unpredictable Irish weather, Pat said: “I will be wearing a lot of factor 50 and a sombrero hat on the sunny days and a heavy coat on the colder days.”
Pat will be accompanied by his friend Tony Harrison who will be driving a camper van where Pat will sleep each night.
Proceeds to to Concern for Gaza
All proceeds will go to the humanitarian aid organisation Concern Worldwide and its Gaza appeal. Pat chose Concern because of his past involvement with the charity as a volunteer in Rwanda in 1995 and 1996 after the brutal genocide that occurred there.
“I really value the work that Concern does, especially after working for them in refugee camps after the Rwanda genocide,” he said.
“The people of Gaza really need our help today. Anybody who has been the pictures on television knows that the people there need our support.”
Support Pat’s tractor trek
Pat hopes to raise at least €5,000 on his GoFundMe page called ‘Malin to Mizen – Charity Tractor Run for Concern’, and has already raised over €4,000.
He plans to drive for eight hours each day and take 15 minute breaks every two hours. He said he’s looking forward to driving through the many towns and villages along Ireland’s west coast.
“We will have signs up on the vehicles to show people how they can support us on our GoFundMe page and I will be posting my progress of the journey each day on my Facebook and Instagram pages,” he said.
To support Pat Murphy’s tractor fundraising trek for Gaza, find him on GoFundMe and follow his journey on Instagram @Murphsmeander_malintomizen.
The route Pat Murphy will take in 2,800km trek in a tractor that can only reach 24kph to raise funds for Concern and Gaza.
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