After he left college at University College Dublin, Conor O’Mahony worked with his father Brendan in Clonmel Travel for two years. In 2002 he had taken a year off to travel the world – and his weekly diary, a detailed ‘off the beaten track’ account of his travels in Central and South America, Cuba, Australia and New Zealand was published in the Clonmel Nationalist. Then, in 2006 at the age of 32, following a football match in Dublin, Conor died suddenly of SCD, or Sudden Cardiac Death.
Two years ago, Brendan commemorated Conor’s fourth anniversary by walking the Camino Ingles Walk in Spain. He told Irish Travel Trade News: “I walked 150km in five days from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela. In the process €17,000 was raised for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young), which is an Irish charity, set up in 2002 by two parents who lost their teenage son to SCD. The charity receives no Government funding.
“When I returned to Ireland I decided that I would publish a book including Conor’s travel articles as well as my own account of undertaking the Camino walk. The book, ‘Forever Young’, was published on 17th February last, and all proceeds from sales of the book will go to CRY, to support their free service.
“On 19th March, I had the privilege of being asked on to the John Murray Show on RTE 1 to discuss the book and many travel colleagues contacted me following the programme.”
To purchase a copy of ‘Forever Young’, price €20.00, go to the CRY Ireland website, www.cry.ie, go to ‘Donate’ – and the book will be sent directly.
