The life and times of a much-loved Galway man who passed away just a year ago after suffering a brain aneurysm, will be remembered today (Sunday) with a special walk in The Burren, overlooking Galway Bay.

Claddagh native, Paul McNamara, was just 49 years of age, when he suddenly and unexpectedly lost his life to the aneurysm on July 7 of last year.

Last March, his widow, Mina, along with a group of friends, set in train plans for an annual walk on the Burren to remember ‘her husband and soulmate’, while also fundraising for two worthy causes.

“Paul loved cycling, walking and his home in The Claddagh where he grew up, as well as our home in Keamsella, Kilcolgan: he brought joy and laughter into my life as well as anyone else he met,” Mina told the Connacht Tribune.

All funds raised in today’s 8k Memorial Walk, which starts at 1pm in the New Quay area of North Clare, will be shared between NLN (National Learning Network) Quest Brain Injuries Galway and St. Ann’s Stroke and Brain Injury Unit at Galway University Hospital.

Mina McNamara said that the location for the walk would bring back many special memories for her as it was a route that Paul loved to take, with its stunning views across Galway Bay.

She said that before Paul died suddenly on July 7 of last year, he had been in good health with no underlying health conditions.

“That awful day, my world stopped turning and part of me died with Paul – my soulmate and best friend. Being a nurse, the one person I needed to save the most, was the very one I could do nothing for,” Mina recalled.

Quest Brain Injury Services is a community rehabilitation service for people across Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, who have sustained what’s medically described as an ‘acquired brain injury’ (ABI).

Brain injuries are quite common – Quest estimate that as many as 10,000 people a year in Ireland are affected – and the service focuses on providing practical and social support to people with this condition.

Mina McNamara works as a nurse at the Bon Secours Hospital in Galway, and with the help of her friends and colleagues, she is hoping to make the walk an annual event.

“It’s something we all want to do for Paul. He brought so much joy and laughter into our lives and he was one of those people who believed in giving back if you were doing well in life.

“He did this quietly and anonymously – he never wanted recognition for any of his good deeds or never wanted to be put in the limelight. Paul was a wonderful person that I had the good fortune of spending 27-years with,” said Mina.

Assembly for today’s walk – which ‘takes in’ Corker Hill (Green Road) – begins at 12 noon from St. Patrick’s Church, New Quay (H91RP74) with a 1pm start. It will feature stunning views of Galway Bay and The Burren.

(Photo: Mina McNamara, wife of the late Paul McNamara, with her niece Caoimhe Clancy and nephews Mikey and Matthew Clancy, and behind family members, friends and organisers, at Corcomroe Hill for the launch of the Paul McNamara Memorial Walk Fundraiser which takes place this Sunday. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy).