“The best time to walk the Camino Frances is when you can. Just go out and do it.”
Wise words from a man who has no issue just doing the iconic pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (he did his first in 2012 and has walked the various Camino routes nearly a dozen times since!): historian and long-time hillwalker Declan O’Keeffe.
Declan joined UCD Mountaineering Club back in 1979 and has remained an active hillwalker ever since. He became involved with Mountaineering Ireland in 1995, when he ran a series of mountaineering lectures, before news editing the Irish Mountain Log magazine for 6 years. Declan served 10 years on the Board of Mountaineering Ireland, with 4 of those as president.
We were delighted to interview Declan about his experiences on the Camino Frances route and what the walk means to him personally after so many years.
Thanks for the interview, Declan. First, how has walking played a role in your life?
“I’m now 68 years old and have walked routes across Europe – just about anywhere you can name. I have always tried to hillwalk and rock climb wherever I am, and was lucky to get the chance to do this a lot more in my role as President of Mountaineering Ireland. During this time, I was also involved in organising the Alpine Meets – 2-week walking and climbing tours of the Alps, around France, Austria and Switzerland. It was a great way to combine walking with mountaineering.”
“I was also always interested in walking around Ireland. We have a beautiful country and climate for hillwalking” said Declan. “I just returned from a 125km cycle over two days in the Wicklow Hills on my electric trike. It’s not quite hillwalking, but I’m still regaining my fitness after some health issues.”
In 2021, Declan suffered multiple strokes while walking the Camino Frances. He was rushed to hospital and prepared for the worst, but he has worked his way steadily back to health – he has even completed three more sections of the Camino Frances route since! Clearly the Camino has played a hugely significant role in Declan’s life.
What inspired you to walk the Camino de Santiago?
“I actually knew very little about the Camino before I walked it for the first time on a 9-day section in 2012, so I had no preconceptions of what to expect. It was a totally novel experience, like no other walk I had ever done. The route wasn’t physically challenging—for someone used to climbing mountains—but it challenged me to think about my life. I was on a career break at the time, and it really helped to align some priorities inside my own head.”
How did your relationship with the Camino change over time?
“It certainly evolved positively! I have been back to the Camino, along one route or another, most years (and sometimes twice a year) since that first trip. I remember walking some of the Camino Portugues route in 2014 – that was a memorable experience. In 2016, I walked the full Camino Frances, from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago in 5 weeks. I did the first 12 days with two friends, and walked the remainder alone. Although, of course, you are never really alone on the Camino! That’s part of what makes this pilgrimage so unique.”
“I built a Camino family as I walked, getting into deep conversations with people I had only just met. I haven’t seen any of them since, but I will never forget the bonds built,” said Declan. “There was an honesty and freedom in those relationships unlike anything else. Some of us were staying in albergues on the Camino Frances, others in paradores or luxury hotels. Some were there for a month, others for a week. But we were all heading towards the same goal. The Camino is about the people.”
Do you have any other notable memories from along the Camino?
“Taking a Fourth Year class of students from my school, Clongowes Wood College SJ, on a school trip to the Camino Frances for 3 days, was certainly memorable. Giving those young people the opportunity to experience a world beyond the classroom and boost their curiosity about different cultures and traditions was something I will never forget. Never mind the work it took making sure they were all looked after and behaving!”
“After 3 days of walking we visited Loyola, birthplace of Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, and then took a bus down to Manresa, near Barcelona, to finish the trip,” Declan added. “It was a Camino with a difference!”
As we prepared to finish, I was compelled to ask Declan a final question that a seasoned Camino pilgrim and hillwalker could surely answer with practical advice.
What advice would you give to people keen to walk the Camino themselves?
“Just go for it. Ideally walk all of it, but if all you can manage is a week to start then do it. I say to start because I’m fairly confident that once you go, you will want to return. Also, look into all the routes. The last 5 days walking into Santiago are all well and good, but you shouldn’t start there; there is more to it than that.”
But what Declan closed on was altogether more spiritually enriching than just advice on interpreting a map of the Camino Frances route or offering a detailed packing list.
“Every day of the Camino is built on a cycle of walking, eating, drinking and sleeping. The rest is up to you,” said Declan. “You’ll find out what you want from it. All I will say is the constant forward motion helps the rest of the world fade away and reveal to you what’s important. Connecting with people – including yourself.”
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