In Pictures: Donegal Town schools pay forward the Choctaw Nation’s generosity

Pupils from Gaelscoil na gCeithre Máistrí and Glebe NS came together in Donegal Town to continue the tradition of the Famine Walk / Siúlóid Chuimhneacháin an Drochshaoil. Click on the arrows to see photos of the event:

Gaelscoil Principal Eoghan Ó Gráda told those gathered that the annual walk was a school tradition started by former Principal, Máistir Seosamh Mac Suibhne who was also present. 

He explained that the event was held to remember the generosity of the people of the Choctaw Nation who gathered and gifted $170 for the people of Ireland during the 1845 to 1848 famine in Ireland. 

“A lán airgid a bhí ann sin ag an am agus chuaigh sé go mór chun leasa mhuintir na hÉireann a bhí ag fáil bháis den ocras!,” he said.

As well as commemorating the kindness of the Choctaw people, the event was a fundraiser for Medecins Sans Frontieres, an organisation which provides medical care in warzones and other such challenging situations. 

Mayor Anna Gallagher spoke of the famine as one of the darkest chapters in Irish history.

“The pain of that era still lingers in our collective memory, etched into the soul of this nation,” she said. 

“But even in the midst of that sorrow, something extraordinary happened. A light reached us from across the Atlantic - from the Choctaw Nation, a people who had themselves suffered deeply after being forced to walk the Trail of Tears, losing so many along the way.

“And yet, despite their grief and hardship, the Choctaw people reached out to help us. They heard of Ireland's suffering, and in 1847, they gathered and sent a donation - $170 at the time, worth thousands today - to help Irish famine relief. 

“They did not know us. They had never met us. But they gave, because they understood what it meant to suffer. And more importantly, what it means to care.

“That act of kindness is more than a footnote in history. It is a beacon, a reminder that compassion can cross oceans, that the bonds of humanity are stronger than any boundary of geography or language or race, that a hand extended in empathy can lift generations.

“And so, as we walk today, shoulder to shoulder in unity, we remember not only the dead of 1847, but also the living spirit of generosity that gave us hope.”

To the young people taking part in the walk, the Mayor said: “This day belongs to you too. You are not only honouring the past, you are shaping the future. As you walk today, know that you are part of a story much bigger than any one person. You are walking in the footsteps of those who suffered, those who gave, and those who stood up for others.

“Take the knowledge that even small acts of kindness can echo across the world. That the strength of a people is not measured by power or wealth, but by how they care for others - especially those they've never even met.

“Take inspiration from the Choctaw Nation, who gave not from abundance, but from shared humanity.

“Take pride in our Irish heritage - not just the pain, but the resilience, the warmth, the instinct to reach out.

“And as you grow up and go out into the world, carry this story with you. Let it shape how you treat others. How you respond to injustice. How you lift those who are struggling. Be generous. Be brave. Be kind. Because the world still needs those who will walk in compassion, just as we do today.”

Prayers were read by pupils from both schools, and there was music from a number of students led by Kevin O’Donnell.

The group, joined by members of the community including Cllr Jimmy Brogan, then walked from the Diamond to Donegal Castle where the ceremony continued.