Goodwill – The Shepherds Run

Goodwill; ‘a helpful attitude towards other people’.

While it is well known that doing good things for people, acts of kindness and doing things like generating money for good causes and charity helps others, it also helps you feel better as a person, stirring a feeling of being a part of something meaningful. Words don’t do a good job of explaining or describing that feeling.  

At the weekend, we ran a charity event at home in Sligo on Dohern Hill for the Cancer Support Centre who do incredible work supporting families who are impacted by cancer. We raised €5,000! The money is going to make a huge difference to peoples lives and we are thrilled with the support. The event was called ‘The Shepherds Run’, which was on a new trail loop at the back of my home in Sligo. We came up with the name because of the amount of sheep farms that are adjacent to the trail but also the amount of time I have spent chasing sheep across Dohern in my youth. The truth is that I thought people would laugh at the idea of an event like this on a trail, that was until very recently, a path for tractors and moving cattle, before it was converted into a walking trail in the past two years.

Goodwill

Going back to the thing that words don’t do a good job of explaining, the feeling where you experience the work, effort, energy and support of people simply because they want to help, ‘goodwill’. There is well founded research now that connects the quality of relationships and the feeling of belonging to longevity. It’s also actually now well established as a key facet of successful sports teams too! Well there is one thing for certain, this event would never have been the success it was without the effort of key people in my local community.

Gerry Connolly, a friend and neighbours, was one of the main reasons this event was a success. We often define the attributes of a high performer as someone who leads through action. Well, Gerry’s actions say everything about who he is. He was the first person I asked about the idea of running the event and he backed it from the first moment. Then he went about doing all he could to make it be the best event he could, making signs then driving around with his tractor putting them up, closing the local roads, communicating to all the neighbours about the event, putting stone down on uneven or risky areas of the trail, walking the route multiple times with a trundle wheel to measure it to exactly 5km. Meeting after meeting and phone call after phone call. I have seen many forms of leadership in my life, but Gerry’s selfless acts and leadership will stand out as one of the greatest in my experience. I am lucky to have him in my local community. I bet many of you reading this also know a Gerry Connolly, we must appreciate and cherish them. They inspire others to be better people, bring the best out of others and do good in this world.

The Winners

We can’t do it all, you need a team and help from others. The reality of what happened for this to be a successful event was that there was a team of people who drove this on in any way they could. There was my wife Sandra, my mum Eileen, Michael Toolan, David Hosey and Barry Kivlehan, all friends who were simply magnificent support and help, thank you. 

To my team, thank you, and in particular to Brianna, well done. This was a big undertaking and you did a brilliant job in making this feel like a well run, professional event. People gave all they could in any way they could to make this a success, all I can say is thank you. I am deeply proud and grateful. See you next year for the next Shepherds Run! How could it not be an annual event with how that went. My last words, you can do this too. If you are thinking of running something, just go for it, back yourself and others will too.