Michéal Shanahan on his run from Galway to Dublin.
Kerry native Michéal Shanahan is running across the width of Ireland to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society. He kicked off the challenge in Galway on Sunday 20 September and will cover approximately 240 kilometres over five days, running a marathon a day until he reaches Dublin.
A fashion designer and ultrarunner, Shanahan began his run at Limited Coffee Co., where a small group of friends, family and supporters gathered to send him on his way, including 5-10 fellow runners who joined him for the first five kilometres.
Shanahan, 27, is raising money online for the Irish Cancer Society throughout the cross-country journey. The organisation offers free cancer information and support in addition to funding cancer research.
Like many others, Shanahan’s family has personally felt the impact of cancer.
“My grandmother died from cancer when I was younger,” Shanahan said. “We moved in with her; we lived with her for the last maybe year of her life, so it’s just always been there.”
Shanahan said he always wished he could do more to contribute to the cause, but he never had the financial ability while he was growing up and going through college. He took up running during the COVID-19 pandemic and after seeing running fundraiser challenges online, he realized he could grab people’s attention and support cancer research in a similar way.
“Last year I raised six grand,” Shanahan said. “I’ve never had the money to give €6 thousand to charity, but I had the ability to raise €6 thousand for charity, so I [thought] ‘this is great, I can just do this all the time.’”
In 2025, Shanahan raised €6 thousand for the Irish Cancer Society by running the entire length of Ireland from Malin Head to Mizen Head. He ran a marathon per day for 14 days, covering roughly 600 kilometres in that time.
It took a significant effort to accomplish that feat, with Shanahan saying that it took him weeks to fully recover and that once he had finished, he never wanted to see his shoes, his feet or a gel again.
Despite the physical toll, Shanahan is back with another running challenge a year later and currently plans to continue these fundraisers each year to try to raise as much money as he can for the Irish Cancer Society.
“You see people who wish they could [do more] and want to do more, and I have the ability to do it,” he said. “I can take five days off work. I can run across the country. I have a good friend group here to support me, so between the lot of us we get it done. I’ll do the running; they’ll help with everything else.”
Accompanying Shanahan across the country to provide support along the way is his friend Leon, who was also with Shanahan throughout last year’s challenge.
Documenting the journey on social media, Shanahan had reached 80 kilometres by Monday evening, all the while encouraging viewers to donate to help him reach his goal of €2 thousand by the time he reaches Dublin.
People wishing to donate can make contributions directly through Shanahan’s JustGiving page
