A Co Mayo man is walking barefoot across Europe in an attempt to set a new world record for distance traversed barefoot – and to raise funds for two charities.
Claremorris native Eamonn Keaveney (33) began walking from Istanbul in March. He has now reached Vienna, having recently surpassed the current Guinness World Record of 3,409.75km set by Polish man Paweł Durakiewicz in 2024.
Mr Keaveney is raising funds for youth mental health charity Jigsaw, and Friends of the Earth.
Guinness World Records has yet to verify his his achievement as record breaking. “We look forward to receiving evidence from Eamonn for our records management team to review,” a spokeswoman said.
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Mr Keaveney, who works in the Civil Service, hopes to make it back home to Claremorris by foot – about 5,500km from his starting point in the Turkish capital.
He has previously set world records: in 2016, he set a world record for distance covered barefoot when he walked 2,021km around Ireland, raising thousands of euro for Pieta House, and in 2023, he set a record for the fastest journey from Mizen Head to Malin Head on a unicycle, which he did in five days and five hours.
His current challenge, however, is his most difficult yet, Mr Keaveney told The Irish Times from Vienna.
Travelling through Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, he has faced heat exhaustion, language barriers and an encounter with an angry dog after which he required a rabies shot. “There’s nothing in Ireland that can really kill you,” he quipped.
For Mr Keaveney, the challenge is less about breaking someone else’s record, and more about setting his own, he said. He also sees the journey as an opportunity to “shine a light” on causes he cares about.
“Mental health is really important to me. And what I really like about Jigsaw is they provide a concrete service for young people,” he said.
Mr Keaveney also praised the work of Friends of the Earth. He said there is a synergy between the work of both his chosen charities, given the uncertainty felt by many young people over climate change.
