Students aim to raise €100,000 on 'Butter Road Camino' from Listowel to Cork city

Millstreet Community School students are following historic trail to raise funds for Breakthrough Cancer Research and Mellon Educate

At the launch of the Butter Road Camino Walk were TY students at Millstreet Community School, representatives from Breakthrough Cancer Research Mellon Educate, the Butter Exchange, Cork, and historian Joe Harrington. Picture: John Tarrant

It's been called the Butter Road Camino: 12 transition year students are taking on a 117km trek along a historic route from Kerry to Cork city aiming to raise €100,000 for two worthy causes.

The group from Millstreet Community School in North Cork are beginning the route in Listowel in Co Kerry on Thursday, and will follow the historic Old Butter Road to Cork City completing the journey over five days. The route will take them from Listowel through Castleisland, Rathmore, Millstreet, Tower, Kerry Pike, and finishing at The Butter Museum in Cork City on Monday.

The group are hoping to raise €100,000 funds for Breakthrough Cancer Research and Mellon Educate, which works to improve educational opportunities for children in South Africa. The funds raised will be divided equally between the two charities.

“Completing the 117km Butter Road Camino will be a seminal event in the lives of these transition year students," said Frances Moynihan, Millstreet Community School deputy principal. "The terrain itself, complete with multiple challenging climbs and descents, embodies the spirit of adventure and courage of the students, of whom we are immensely proud. 

"In raising funds for the Niall Mellon Foundation and Breakthrough Cancer Research, they are spanning county, national and international boundaries which is very much in line with the philosophy of welcome and sanctuary in our school.”

The Old Butter Road was used by generations of farming communities across Kerry and Cork when Cork city was the world capital of butter, with farmers travelling along the route bringing their butter to market. In the 19th century, Cork was the largest exporter of butter in the world.

The students have set a fundraising target of €100,000 through their camino. They have already raised more than €11,000 of their target.

Next March, the students are planning to travel to Cape Town in South Africa with the Mellon Projects to help construct and renovate school buildings in South African townships. 

The students said: “This project gives us an incredible opportunity to do so many things we have never done before and go places we’ve not been before, all the while helping others less fortunate that us. By taking on this challenge, we are not carrying butter but we are carrying the chance to fight cancer and build schools.” 

Donations can be made through the Butter Road Camino iDonate fundraiser https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/butterroadcamino