Athy Darkness Into Light walk raises over €11,000

THE Athy Darkness Into Light Committee have said they are “incredibly grateful” for the fantastic support shown during this year's Athy Darkness Into Light walk. A fantastic €11,404.83 was raised by the community for a very worthy cause.

Around 2,500 people gathered at Athy College to take part in the event – an annual fundraiser for Pieta House suicide prevention services – held in the early hours of Saturday 11 May.

Darkness Into Light ambassador Jack L and the Village Voices provided entertainment as the crowd gathered from 3.15am, while Sinead Nolan of Pieta House also took part in the walk.

There were 30 volunteers on the morning to ensure the event went off smoothly, with the Civil Defence, Order of Malta, Athy Tidy Towns, Kildare fire service and gardaí in attendance.

The Athy Darkness Into Light committee is made up of Chairman Richard Daly (Principal of Athy College), Frank Dobbyn, Tom Kelly, Sean O’Mahony, Jimmy Byrne, Celine Daly, and Patricia Berry – and of course Honey, their very friendly canine mascot!

“Thanks to your amazing efforts, we raised a significant amount from Athy and the surrounding areas,” the committee said. “Both Pieta and our Athy DIL Committee are blown away by local generosity and we thank every single person who walked, donated, volunteered or supported us in any way. See you all in 2025.”