AN IRISHMAN HAS broken the world record for the longest barefoot walk – and it only took him 185 days. 

Eamonn Keaveney, who hails from Claremorris, Co Mayo, set off on 4 March this year in Istanbul and is slowly making his way back to Ireland. He trekked barefoot across Turkey, Bulgaria, and Hungary, and is currently walking through Austria with his partner Ellie (who is wearing shoes).

Keaveney is no stranger to world records, having set a few in his time. In 2016, he set a world record for walking barefoot when he walked 2,000km around Ireland (which was subsequently broken by others, most recently Polishman Paweł Durakiewicz in January 2024). In 2018, he climbed 10 mountains in 10 days barefoot, in 2023 unicycling the length of Ireland. 

He has now reclaimed his first world record by walking more than 3,410km barefoot, beating the previous record of 3,409.75km. He has another 2,000km left of his journey. 

On day one, Keaveney cut both big toes, and soon after was bitten by a dog, requiring a full course of rabies vaccination. He persevered regardless and continued his walk barefoot.

Eamonn Keaveney walking, shoeless, from Istanbul to Co Mayo. Eamonn Keaveney Eamonn Keaveney

His journey has been tracked on his social media.

Keaveney is raising funds for Jigsaw, Ireland’s youth mental health charity, and Friends of the Earth Ireland alongside his record.

“I raised funds for suicide prevention back in 2016 and it remains something close to my heart,” he said.

“Jigsaw in particular I’m impressed with because they provide tangible support to young people at what is often a critical time in their lives… Young people today are hit by a vortex of housing insecurity, the dark side of social media, and climate anxiety. I think it’s especially important that they can find support like what Jigsaw offers.”