Men’s walking group creates Dingle to Dingle Ireland link to show mental health has no borders

The Walk Florrie men’s group in Dingle is heading to Ireland to forge links with its namesake town in memory of five much-missed members.

Walkers from Liverpool will meet up with their counterparts at Dingle Men’s Shed in Co. Kerry, which brings men together to find friendship and belonging.

Like Walk Florrie, Men’s Sheds in Ireland have been created to help combat men’s mental health issues by giving them a space to talk and get involved in activities.

Tony Caveney, who started the Liverpool walking group after lockdown, says the idea of the trip is not only to remember their friends, but to show how beneficial the groups can be for men wherever they are.

He said:

“With men’s health there’s always stigma and embarrassment, and we won’t stop until we end the stigma around men’s mental health especially locally. 

“When we go abroad, one of the things we say is mental health knows no borders. 

“This trip builds on the success of last year’s visit to Vallecas in Spain, where Walk Florrie connected with a working class community in Madrid to share experiences and build relationships. 

“That visit showed that conversations around mental health and support are shared everywhere. This year’s journey continues that mission.”

Tony says 14 members of Walk Florrie will set off from Liverpool on Friday July 10 for a three-day visit. 

“We’re obviously not walking Dingle to Dingle because that would be impossible, so instead we fly into Shannon airport and then go by minibus to Galway where we’ll be based. 

“Early on Saturday morning we’ll be driving to Dingle where we’ll meet dignitaries and give them gifts from the Florrie including a superlambanana and a Dingle L8 street sign.

“After doing meet and greets, we’re going for a walk in Dingle with the local Men’s Shed group then on the Sunday we’ll go on to Connemara for a walk there with another group of men.

“We’ll have a flag saying, ‘mental health knows no borders’ in Gaelic, like we did in Spanish, and we’ll be giving out leaflets printed in Gaelic on one side and English on the other.”

This trip will have a special meaning after the group lost five of its members last year.

“Going from Dingle to Dingle was a pipe dream that me and Ian Jones would always talk about on the walks,” says Tony. “Sadly, Ian lost his short battle with cancer in July 2025 so we thought it was only right to honour his memory by fulfilling that journey on his anniversary.

“We lost four other members last year who helped shape the group into what it is today, so this walk is also for them and we’ll carry their memory with us every step of the way.”

Get more info from the Men’s walking group here.

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