ALL 39 of the Blog Posts published by Conor Hogan at "The Eye"
( Warning: This is a
LONG Read!! )
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #1
Around the world in 80
Days</em> was a 1873 novel by the French writer Jules
Verne. In the novel the main character Phileas Fogg decided that he
wanted to attempt to travel the globe in 80 days. Many doubted that he would
actually be capable of circling the globe in that time frame – such was the
complexity of travel in those days. In fact, another inventor decided to wage a
bet that Fogg would be proven unsuccessful.
Although there are many more modern
advancements in travel in the present day, to travel around the world is still
quite an achievement and certainly not one that everyone has the pleasure of
doing in their life time.
But this is exactly what Irish man
Tony Mangan is doing!
Tony hails from Dublin and is an
athlete and adventurer of high regard. In the past, Tony has raised money
for charity and seen lots of places of interest as his itchy feet flung on a
pair of runners and succeeded in running around the world!
At present he is attempting to
<strong>walk</strong> around the world.
Tony says:
“The hardest decision is to make the decision to do it, Don’t be limited in
your mind!”
Tony has given exclusive access to
me to chronicle his adventures as he approaches his 2nd year putting one foot
in front of another – walking around the world.
Although Phileas Fogg attempted
the feat in 80 days, it will take Tony a lot longer. As he progresses he will
be giving his take on global tourism and informing The Galway Eye readers about
all the places of interest and the best people to meet, things to do and ways
to go about it when getting there.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #2
For almost two years now Tony Mangan
has been walking around the world. On his journey he has met many people
from all walks of life. He has traveled to many places and experienced many
different things, that most of us will never experience.
In the future we will be covering
Tony’s travel and getting his feedback on all the wonderful spots that he stays
in. Whilst he goes from place to place one thing that Tony is keen to mention
is that:
<pre>No matter where you go in the world, there are mostly good people
around the world!
He travels alone and lives a simple
existence on his world trail pushing a cart that he has named Karma.
In 2016 Tony rambled along an
unusual world route. Although he found himself in Europe, he was in a place
that few Europeans realise exist, at least, not under the nationality that it
does.
With his trusted cart loaded and his
rubber soled runners strapped on, Tony got curious and entered Kaliningrad, a
Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania right on the Baltic
Sea. As it is located by the sea and close to the western world, it
is also an important naval port for Russia.
During that Summer, Tony pushed his
cart which was full to the brim with food, camping gear and all of his worldly
belongings – well, at least all his necessities that he draws from for the
years that he lives this nomadic existence away from his native Liberties in
Dublin.
For all his world travelling, you
would be forgiven in thinking that Tony is a multicultural man. In visiting
such an unknown place as Kaliningrad, it`s obvious how it tweeked Tony’s
curiosity as it is said that it’s inhabitants see themselves as citizens of
Kaliningrad before being identified as European or even Russian citizens.
As Tony walks, he is spreading the
great message of hope for the people of the world. Rather than seeking money or
sponsorship along his way, his main prerogative is to make everyone he meets
along his path aware of the ravages of cancer and to educate them that, despite
it’s ugly existence in modern day life, there is hope. Tony insists that:
“Early screening of cancer can
detect cancer”
It seems amazing in modern living
that a person can live so humbly yet attempt to do so much for all walks of
people in the world that we live in. Perhaps Tony deserves rewards for his
insistent message and his noble cause of walking around the world.
Maybe, as Tony travels and
represents Ireland internationally with his easy manner and soft Dublin brogue,
he attracts better people than most, but then again, that really would be
Karma.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #3
Have you ever asked yourself
<em> ‘Am I afraid of the dark?’ well, this is a thing that Tony Mangan
can never be accused of. After reaching his 2nd anniversary on his world walk
Tony now finds himself walking somewhere across Australia.
Every night he has a choice to make
and often this choice means that he has only one real option of where to sleep.
With his trusty cart which houses all his basic living equipment he unravels
his tent and makes a home for the hours of darkness as he invariably sleeps
outdoors quite regularly night after night, all over the world.
But, fortunately, another option
often presents itself and that manifests itself following the goodness of
random strangers.
This is when Tony is presented with
a choice to make. As Tony is such an experienced world traveler it makes him
attuned to the cultural differences throughout the world. Perhaps tempted
at times by a potential indoor bed, his instincts need to be razor sharp for
him to accept the kind offer of strangers to sleep in their home.
During this past week Irish man Tony
hasn’t been thinking of darkness much, but more of native country as his sister
continued to send him updates of the snow fall that covered most of Ireland.
For all of us living in Ireland over the past few decades the recent snow fall
seemed surreal, but, spare a thought for Tony, as he wanders alone across the
lower half of the globe after being constantly updated last week
with pictures of home under a veil of whiteness. Surely he had thoughts of his
childhood remembering the show that was, and other thoughts of how the snow
back home could sooth him as he sweated in the heat. When we were in the depths
of snow he communicated to me saying:
“It’s over thirty one degrees here
and having trouble sleeping in my tent!”
Fortunately for Tony he ran into
some very good people in Scott and Noel in the Darling Downs region. Scott who
wondered about Tony as he peered from his home (at the then stranger Tony)
quickly made his mind up to kindly offer him a bed for the night. Then there
was Noel who came across Tony as he walked and decided to stride it out for an
hour with him in honour of his late father who had passed away due to cancer.
Although Tony was having a joke with
his fellow Irish man by quipping how it was nice to be away from last
week’s snow fall, again within hours he had to ask himself ‘Am I afraid
of the dark? ‘as he was unsure of where he was to sleep the following night
again.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #4
The Bible is the good book that
tells us how best to live. Many scriptures and stories are contained in the
bible. Characters from within these tales are comparable to people that exist
in our everyday lives in the present day.
One of these characters is a man
named Moses.
The story of Moses stated that the
descendants of Jacob had lived in Egypt for over 450 years and then their
people transformed into a nation. This nation was named Israel. However, the
Egyptians started to see Israel as being a threat to their own nation and
reacted by forcing them to become slaves. Due to Israel`s population increase,
the Egyptians then decided to drown their babies in the River Nile. However,
God came to Israel`s aid and sent them a leader who was called Moses.
As an infant, Moses’ mother had left
him into a basket and let him flow down the River Nile as she believed that
God would look after him. Despite this random act, the baby Moses was
rescued by a well off daughter of a Pharaoh and the baby was raised in a royal
palace.
Like Moses’ mother, Tony Mangan
leaves a lot to chance. Still, this chance is educated by his vast travelling
experience. Although Moses travelled down the River Nile and was fortunate
enough to be rescued by a Pharaoh`s daughter Tony too, has had the fortune of
being aided on many occasions by generous people. Each time Tony meets a
new stranger and tells them of his world walk message of becoming aware of
early Cancer screening, he is often given royal treatment by ordinary people.
Later in the biblical story of Moses
things became more complicated.
Once Moses reached adulthood he
rebelled against his upbringing and killed an Egyptian guard in honour of his
native Israelites. As he attempted to avoid the reaction of the Pharaoh, he
flied to the dessert where he was spoken to by God through a burning bush. This
message from God is said to have given him special powers that were to
eventually propel Moses to lead his people from slavery.
Like Moses, Tony is taking chances
as he travels down under. Although he has not had the experience of being
spoken to by God in the dessert, he is certainly raking up the miles in the
Australian bush and continuing his story in leading others from the wrath of a
cancerous death.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #5
God said to Noah:
“I am going to put an end to all the
people because the earth is full of fighting because of them. I am going to
destroy them and the earth.”
Noah was then given specific
instruction on how he could build an arc to save those that he could from the
almighty flood.
Once God had communicated this to
Noah it is said that he then made a covenant with him, an agreement with a
promise.
Before Tony Mangan’s mother passed
away from cancer she lived out one of her dreams in seeing her son finish
his world run. By then a deep motivation had begun in Tony. That
motivation was to spread the urgent news regarding the importance of early
cancer screening in order to avoid the pains and struggles of the dreaded
disease.
Recently Tony was experiencing
another annoyance during his leg of a Queensland walk. As St. Patrick’s Day was
looming Tony began to ponder how he, as an Irish man, felt coming up to the
annual celebration. As an overseas ambassador of his beloved country, Tony
began to recall the time he ran around the world some years previously. Rather
than being near Australia, Tony was on the opposite side of the southern
hemisphere and finishing a run through Mexico. As soon as he completed a 50km
journey he was parched with the thirst and had to be led by police back to the
police station. While he was being marshalled back by two Mexican officers, one
of them stopped to take a call of nature. As he did his business he turned to
Tony and said:
“Hey, you Irish you love to drink,
don’t you?”
and proceeded to offer Tony a
beer. Much to the officers’ amazement Tony preferred to drink a Coke
instead as he retorted:
“Nah, nah I`ll have a coke instead.”
The resultant body language and
actions from those officers said it all for Tony. They continued to use their
pistols to open two beers before driving off and this displayed how they were
not prepared for an Irish man so fit and self disciplined, not fitting the
stereotype of wanting to drink alcohol at every given opportunity.
In these past few days Tony has
experienced Queensland in floods yet the weather is warm and welcoming. His
insistence after travelling around the world and meeting many people from all
places is that the Irish, when internationally compared, are only ‘mid
table’ consumers of alcohol. Thankfully for us Irish we won’t need
a Queensland flood to water us down now that St. Patrick’s weekend has run it’s
course, but for Tony, his international ramble by the waters of the world
continues.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #6
Many would say that the modern man
is a metro-sexual man. Being metro-sexual means that the man is particular
about how he grooms himself and that he likes to spend time on his appearance –
even more than many women. In comparison to men of yesteryear, these types of
men are perceived by many as being more aware of their appearance as distinct
from their fore fathers. Still, not every modern man is a metro-sexual. Some
are just clean shaven, tidy, resourceful and just as hardy as those of their
fore fathers.
One such man is Tony Mangan. His
daily ritual of keeping clean, tidy and as presentable as any so called
‘heterosexuals’ endear him to hoards of strangers all over the world. His
charming way backs up his affable and clean cut lean frame as he is challenged
by the high ways and by ways of the world.
Tony attracts all types of positive
attention on his world walk. Thankfully for him, it’s predominately positive
attention from people of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. He seems to motivate
kindness in people as he steps it out across the southern hemisphere.
About five years ago, when Tony was
galloping along the road in Melbourne (with his crew member Michael), he bumped
into a kind farmer and his wife. After the rapport was built up Tony and
Michael were offered to stay on the farm for the night – to rest their weary
limbs. The banter was good and Michael and the farmer had a couple of
drinks as Tony rested his weary muscles and had the chat with them. As the
night wore on it was time for bed and Tony and Michael were summoned to sleep
in the same room but on different sides of an ‘L’ shaped couch. As Michael had
taken a few drinks he was falling asleep while Tony was just allowing the last
few thoughts of the busy day flow through his mind as he lay relaxed on the
couch.
Soon the inebriated farmer’s
curiosity got the better of him and he hurried downstairs and jokingly
approached Tony’s side of the couch before surrounding a prostate Tony and then
eventually pinning him to the couch with his wrestler like build. As he lay
over Tony with his muscular frame his drunken antics eventually uttered:
“Why the hell are you running around the world?”
Tony, although initially startled,
stayed as cool as a breeze while his friend Michael was sniggering with
entertainment on the other side of the couch. But Michael was still clever
enough not to attract the drunken farmer’s comical advances! Within a moment
both men’s shock was abated as the farmer’s wife summoned her semi naked
husband back to his bedroom.
Although Tony Mangan is not a
metro-sexual he attracts a lot of attention. On that particular night he
attracted a confused drunken farmer, but Tony’s cool instincts and appeal to
the ladies is obvious as he continues to make his way through the trails of
Australia.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #7
lthough Easter has just passed you
would be forgiven that everyone has eaten their fill of Easter eggs and now
find themselves looking back on the Winter with a huge degree of haste.
But not everyone feels the same.
After all, we are all different.
For Tony Mangan on his world walk
somewhere in Queensland, Australia Easter 2018 was not a time for a lot of
personal celebration. For him the few days on the lead up to Easter were ones
where he was introspective along his walk. Walking alone is one thing but
walking around the world alone for years on end is a totally different matter.
Even more challenging than that is being alone in the wilderness with only your
memories as your sole companion and this can have an impact on a person.
The closeness Tony has to
Summer like nature as he walks
This past Easter has represented
good and bad memories for Tony. His particular motivation for his website
comes from the memory of his mother’s passing. Tony’s close relationship with
his mother is much like many Irish people and this is to be heralded. Yet,this
past Easter was a tough few days of walking for Tony as he was recalling his
mother’s third anniversary of her passing. She died of cancer and, unfortunately
for her and Tony’s family and friends, things may have been different if she
was screened for cancer earlier.
So, three years later, Tony finds
himself on the road somewhere in the southern hemisphere putting one foot after
another in aid of early cancer screening awareness.
Coincidentally, only last week on
the day of Tony’s mother anniversary a study by the Irish Cancer Society was
published where it stated that around 3,000 cancers are diagnosed annually in
hospital emergency departments. According to the study, three out of four cases
are at an advanced stage and involve people over the age of 65.
Being suddenly diagnosed like this
when you are elderly is still shocking for many. On an earlier world run memory
Tony was once shocked by an elderly person who showed him so much kindness and
like him at time, was at peace with themselves.
It occurred in the Andes Mountains
of South America. Here, as he ran, Tony noticed a trail by the high way. He
continued for a couple of kilometres until he arrived in a little village that
was well off the beaten track. There he met a very old woman named Violet who
invited him, a total stranger, into her home. Within her home there were no
electrical appliances. Despite this, and being in this very remote region away from
everything civil the old lady put on fire made of twigs, boiled water for a cup
of tea and coffee, fed him and gave him a bed.
Many who are over 65 in Ireland may
be feeling as if they are entering into their Autumn years and that they can
bask in the sunshine free of a life full of working pressures, but for
thousands each year they are instead in the midst of winter and are only
looking forward to a hasty cancer filled exit from earth.
Bitter sweet after taste of Easter
for those hastily looking back on the winter of their lives
Thankfully for Ireland and the world
there is a sensitive and determined man in Tony Mangan who will continue to put
one foot after another to educate the masses.
Although the Easter has now gone the
bitter sweet after taste of the importance of exercise and early cancer
screening resides for those that are only now entering their dark winter
despite the Spring that find ourselves now in.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #8
Tony has been keeping it very Irish
this week. Despite St. Patrick’s day having passed, his memories of the emerald
isle are sharper now than ever. Even though he is trouping around Queensland in
mid-thirty degree Celsius heat, he still seeks something hotter!
Getting into hot water is not
something that any tourist wants abroad and mingling with a nation’s police
force is something all journeymen are supposed to avoid, but then there’s Tony
Mangan, and he’s not an ordinary type of guy.
Recently, while bumping into a young
Irish couple, Tony was greeted with a smile and for him it was good to touch
base with an attractive fellow country man and woman
Even though he had the pleasure of
meeting this couple, he is keen to remind us of a time when he entered
<em>‘the land of smiles’</em> and his presence got them all hot
around the collar, although this all happened a couple of years back under the
Asian sunshine.
As a single man, Tony ran into the
renowned and exhilarating city of Bangkok, Thailand. Soon, word spread that
such a fit western gent was arriving and the local police chief got excited.
His introduction to the capital city eventually caused quite a stir.
This flurry of excitement caused the
chief of police to take the day off and go on a run with Tony as he made sure
that his patrol cars were loaded up with water and food. Late in the day, Tony
reached a local college where he got rousing appreciation. This assured Tony
that he was being lauded for his athletic achievements and not just his other
charms.
As Tony continues to trek it out,
over the years it must amaze him how many people get drawn to his unique
efforts to foot it out alone across the globe.
Though it’s tough for him at times
(and so hot that it`s uncomfortable) it’s better to meet a police chief in
Thailand and be admired than being <em>‘ Banged Up
Abroad’</em> under the suspicions of a different type of heat
altogether!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #9
There’s a wise old saying:
“If the mountain won’t come to
Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain”
According to the Oxford dictionary
this generally means that if someone fails to do as you wish them to do or, if
a particular situation does not suit you despite your perseverance to shape it
in that manner, then you must accept it and change your plans accordingly.
Perseverance is something that Tony
Mangan does well. In fact, his waking life depends on daily perseverance as he
walks around the globe step after step.
This week Tony was keen to share his
memory of when he was on a similar world tour 4 years ago. At that time in Iran
he bumped into a man named Mohamed and his little family. Tony got to
experience a culture of a different kind and he shared a lovely birthday
experience with this man and his kind family.
As Tony foots it out across the
southern half of Australia, he is continuing to bump into random characters
that provide him (and us) all with entertainment. Tony, of course, greets them
with his smile and shows his Irish charm whatever comes along.
Recently his openness around the
world meant that he was followed by an uncomfortable amount of flies. This and
the excessive heat have bothered Tony somewhat so he’s fortunate to have met a
couple of ladies that have stuck to him as closely as those flies!
Two of these ladies are pet-named
by Tony as ‘Thelma’ and ‘Louise’ and another was kind old Nola who
volunteers to help revive drivers in the outback. As per usual, Tony used his
gift of the gab to illicit some fun and mischief from the ladies along the way.
Although a couple of these lovely
ladies were named after the famous movie that addressed how two women who bond
can live without men in their lives, thankfully for Tony these two Aussie
ladies were far more welcoming to him.
Then again, he was in the mood for a
waltz with even a Matilda if she crossed his path. For Tony perseverance is one
of the traits that he knows too well since his journey from Asia to
Australia and back again in the near future.
Perhaps in Asia he will be greeted
by people just as glorious as the ladies he has met recently. If
not, ah well, you can be assured that he will be as open to
receiving an approach as we all know now that with him:
If the mountain won’t come to Tony,
Tony must go to the mountain!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #10
As the good old jokes go:
‘A man walks into a bar…’
For in a bar you are bound to meet
the most interesting of characters.
This past week in Queensland,
Australia Tony Mangan met men who were far from ‘queens’. In fact, they didn’t
even seem like royalty.
Of course, Tony is used to being
treated like royalty by many ordinary people along his world walk route, but
then there are times when, despite him insisting that there are great people
all around the world, it`s just not possible to bump into them.
When that happens getting from ‘A to
B’ in a foreign country can be tough. In October 2011 Tony was going from
Mexico to Guatemala. It was a dry and arid time, not unlike this past week in
Australia. Tony was finding it tough as he walked. His usual economical journey
was being interrupted by immigration on the Mexican border. There the guards
insisted that he pay more money even though he had already forked out for the
original visa fee on the other side of the border. He had to wait for over an
hour while the man on the border emailed and liaised with officials about what
must have seen to them at that time as being some form of a runaway border
hopper. Tony though, used the waiting time to notice the surrounding landscape
and weather.
He noticed that the drivers were
erratic and the roads weren’t much better either. Notable to him was how the
roads had been worn down such was the power and regularity of the extreme
downpours during the typical monsoon weather of that typical central American
country. As he had been there before he wondered if the potholes were the same
ones as the last time he had visited!
This past week for Tony has allowed
him to meet nicer folk that the pertinacity of the border guard though they
have spun a yarn or two to Tony along the way also. For him, these past few
days have been a case of forgetting about the ‘Queens’ land, as it`s been
more like a deck of cards where the queens, kings, jacks have all been missing
and a new jester has been crowned instead saying:
“Tony Mangan walked into a bar and met a pack of jokers “
Thankfully, for the local road users
there are no dangerous crevices in the ground to make the drivers as crazy as
Tony experienced in South America during 2011, although the ‘holes’ may be
larger but are seated under the jokers right by the bar in Queensland,
Australia.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #11
In Ireland, the Dublin football team
were the team of the decade as they ended the decade with a 3-in- a-row.
Although fellow Dub Tony Mangan was
celebrating his birthday recently he was not born back in the 1890s, but it
being his birthday season, it seems only fitting to mention dates on this
occasion.
Another time of note that occurred
back then in 1895 was that the song <em>Waltzing Matilda</em> was
written. Lately on Tony`s birthday he was fortunate enough to spend it in
the town where the song was first performed.
Such was the song`s popularity,
it became notorious for being Australia`s unofficial national anthem.
As the tune goes:
“Oh there once was a swagman camped in a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree”
Over the past few years Tony has
camped out in many a place and under many a tree and so the significance of
Tony being compared to the character in this song is obvious.
But what is the real background
behind the song?
The Waltzing Matilda song
lyrics arose from the 1891 Shearers Strike which was one of Australia`s most
prominent industrial disputes. Unionised and non- unionised wool workers fought
violently and the outcome saw the formation of the Australian labour party
coming to political power.
In Tony`s native land there is
another Dubliner in political power and he has the overarching responsibility
of many government departments including the bursting at the seams
<em>Health Service Executive</em>. As Tony is walking around the
world in aid of early cancer screening it seems apt now and then to wonder
about the disease that he preaches about.
A recent study found that cancer
patients who are physically active both prior to and following treatment
are 40% more likely to survive in comparison to people who have cancer who
are sedentary.
One thing is for certain that
despite Tony having a couple of unusual rest days in this past week he is
anything but a sedentary body as he moves around Australia meeting people here
and there and spreading his message of early cancer screening. Of course, his
two day break was due to his recent birthday and like anyone celebrating a
break is well deserved. An Taoiseach, Ireland`s prime minister, is another who
likes a ramble with his short pants on.
Of course, there is a possibility
that Tony`s idealist early cancer screening is prevented for many due to the
inefficiency of the health system that Irish people find themselves living in.
Seeing as only last month there was record breaking 10,000 people on trolleys
in hospitals across Ireland, perhaps it`s time for certain people in the HSE to
do as Tony did some years ago and ‘go for a run…’
That run went all around the world
for Tony and he continues to repeat the selfless feat for others who need it
now.
As he has passed the famous Waltzing
Matilda mark we still wonder what is a swagman?
Simply put a‘Swagman’is
a person holding a swag or bundle of belongings for a prolonged
period, as they walk away.
As Tony Mangan walks on from another
important date on the calendar and away from the fame of the 1890s famed
Waltzing Matilda memory co-incidentally his native Dublin footballers are
beginning to start defending their present 3-in-a-row All-Ireland Football
Championships wins, yet Tony`s governmental leader Leo has
his famous socks on and may be ready for a long walk of his own -if everyone
figures out that he is the real ‘Swagman’ of Dublin.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #12
During this past week Tony Mangan
has landed in Crocodile Dundee country. The 1986 hit movie chronicled the
lifestyle of outback hunter gather Mick Dundee who had an often hilarious twist
on things that he experienced.
There’s a scene from the movie
‘Crocodile Dundee 2’ in which Mick Dundee is walking leisurely through a
fancy hotel like venue hand in hand with the female lead Sue Charlton.
The couple are greeted by a concierge who offers Dundee’s lady friend a menu of
sorts while Mick`s outdoor instincts kick in once he sees, to the other side of
him, a musician snake charming for entertainment. Dundee immediately reacts to
the snake as it wriggles by his arm and grabs it with both hands before
cracking it’s neck in a nonchalant manner. The snake wiggles no more and
instead drops to the base of the basket where it once lived. All the while, Sue
Charlton is unaware of Dundee’s flick of the wrist and they both walk on
through the hotel.
Mick Dundee’s character can be
summed up by a few quotes that he said throughout filming. One quote from him
explained his theory on life when he began with:
“Of course it took me a week to
crawl this far.
I thought I was a goner. I said to meself,
‘ Mick old son, find yourself a nice comfortable spot
and lay down and die”
During these past weeks or so Tony
can relate to this. As he has been walking through Australia over the past 10
days he has momentarily taken the outback and all it`s outdoor wonders of
nature for granted.
Of late he was rambling with his
trusted cart ‘Karma’ and was pensive about his late mother’s birthday which was
on that very same day. Naturally, as Tony has dedicated his world walk to the
need for early cancer screening (which was in part motivated by his mother’s
passing from the dreaded disease) he could be forgiven for his lapse in
concentration as he moved along his route.
As he rolled his cart forward upon
the road it ran directly over a snake which wasn’t obvious to the eye at the
time and, before Tony realised it, his momentum made him step right onto the
reptile. By the time he figured out what had just occurred the snake had
slithered for cover into the surrounding grass as Tony was left to wonder if
the creature was venomous or not.
Thankfully, Tony has recovered and
his world walk continues.
What of what Mick Dundee said
earlier?
In reply to the quote by Dundee
about he may have been killed one time his missus in the movie Sue Charlton
said:
” Nah, I read the Bible once. You
know God and Jesus and all them apostles? They were fishermen, just like me.
Yeah, straight to heaven for Mick Dundee Yep, me and God, we`d be mates”
Now that Tony has learned from the
outback warrior of Mick Dundee’s legacy he’ll never be afraid to die. He’ll
face the coming weeks with bravery as the worst that can happen has happened
and he has survived the incident with the snake and is still walking onward.
You can’t kill Tony Mangan, for he’s
just got too much ‘snake charm’ in him.
During this past week Tony Mangan has landed in Crocodile Dundee country. The
1986 hit movie chronicled the lifestyle of outback hunter gather Mick Dundee
who had an often hilarious twist on things that he experienced.
There`s a scene from the movie ‘
Crocodile Dundee 2’ in which Mick Dundee is walking leisurely through a
fancy hotel like venue hand in hand with the female lead Sue Charlton.
The couple are greeted by a concierge who offers Dundee`s lady friend a menu of
sorts while Mick`s outdoor instincts kick in once he sees, to the other side of
him, a musician snake charming for entertainment. Dundee immediately reacts to
the snake as it wriggles by his arm and grabs it with both hands before
cracking it`s neck in a nonchalant manner. The snake wiggles no more and
instead drops to the base of the basket where it once lived. All the while, Sue
Charlton is unaware of Dundee`s flick of the wrist and they both walk on
through the hotel.
Mick Dundee`s character can be
summed up by a few quotes that he said throughout filming.
One quote from him explained his
theory on life when he began with :
“Of course it took me a week to
crawl this far. I thought I was a goner. I said to meself, “ Mick old
son, find yourself a nice comfortable spot and lay down and die”
During these past weeks or so Tony can relate to this.
As he has been walking through Australia
over the past 10 days he has momentarily taken the outback and all it`s
outdoor wonders of nature for granted.
Of late he was rambling with his
trusted cart ‘Karma’ and was pensive about his late mother`s birthday which was
on that very same day. Naturally, as Tony has dedicated his world walk to the
need for early cancer screening (which was in part motivated by his mother`s
passing from the dreaded disease) he could be forgiven for his lapse in
concentration as he moved along his route.
As he rolled his cart forward upon
the road it ran directly over a snake which wasn’t obvious to the eye at the
time and, before Tony realised it, his momentum made him step right onto the
reptile. By the time he figured out what had just occurred the snake had slithered
for cover into the surrounding grass as Tony was left to wonder if the creature
was venomous or not.
Thankfully Tony has recovered and
his world walk continues.
What of what Mick Dundee said
earlier?
In reply to quote by Dundee about he
may have been killed one time his missus in the movie Sue Charlon said:
“Weren`t you afraid?”
To which Mick replied:
“Of dying? Nah, I read the Bible once. You know God and Jesus and all them
apostles? They were fishermen, just like me. Yeah, straight to heaven for Mick
Dundee Yep, me and God, we`d be mates”
Now that Tony has learned from the
outback warrior of Mick Dundee`s legacy he`ll never be afraid to die. He`ll
face the coming weeks with bravery as the worst that can happen has happened
and he has survived the snake bite and is still walking onward.
For you can`t kill Tony Mangan, for
he`s just got too much ‘snake charm’ in him.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #13
Maewyn Succat was a boy born to
Roman parents, kidnapped as a teenager and sent into slavery in Ireland to tend
on sheep in county Antrim. That was a long time ago and few, if any, will
recall what happened with the youngster next in life, as his name is not
exactly etched in folklore.
Being a fluent Irish speaker was
next on the list for the brave Maewyn and then priest hood followed.
Although poor Maewyn became ultra
religious and was credited with changing the Irish to beign Christians as well
as banishing the country of snakes before later being given the name of St.
Patrick, history still states that he was forced into Ireland rather than being
there of choice.
Tony Mangan is no saint. Nor is he a
sheep herder. Still though, he does cover the amount of ground on foot as a
sheep herder would have attempted back in the days prior to automation.
In November 2013 Tony`s feet found
him in Myanmar and Burma in the eastern part of the world. Here he was welcomed
by Buddist monks and although the area was a latent to the democratic process
Tony was fed well, allowed to run unhindered and felt the joys of being warmly
cherished as anywhere he had experienced and even the best of places in the
world. Although at that time he understood why his entering
into this country may offend some of his international followers (due to it
being a country that was only new to democracy) his experience there rebuffed
any claims of the people being unfair or anything but open to his arrival.
As said, Tony is a layman and this
disqualifies him from his likeness with St. Patrick or the monks. Unlike St.
Patrick, Tony, in this past week or so, choose to enter into his latest city of
Mount Isa in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia.
In he strolled and before he knew it
he was swarmed by many Irish people which were a very welcome diversion from
the long lonely road that he is now so used to after over two years stepping it
out around the world.
Although Tony Mangan is no saint, his personality will have surely banished any
sneaky behaviour from Mount Isa as his open and expanding travel blogging and
vloging brings light to another town who showed him a céad míle fáilte and a
truly Christian welcome.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #14
Back in the 1970s Tony Mangan attended
school in Dublin. Often, back then, young girls wore skirts and young boys wore
short pants as they attended even the foremost Irish educational schools
of the land. At the end of each day they skipped home and diligently attempted
a couple of hours of home work that was designed to make them more
worldly in their actions in the years ahead.
In the north side and other parts of
Dublin city a lot was happening.
In Ballymun the infamous flats were
built and motions were made to establish a Gael Scoil in the area.
In Foley Street the corporation
place flats known as ‘The Cage’ which had a plethora of social problem meant
that there was a high failure rate for those that sought out educational
attainment. There was even an official experiment by the Department of
Education which paid attention to the Bernard Van Leer Foundation in Holland of
having a bright and informal school surrounding designed for 3-5 year olds in
order to irradiate the social problems that were so prevalent in inner city
Dublin.
In those times, glass milk bottles
were used by the schools children and Aran sweaters were seen a plenty ,not to
mention, the child in the duffle coat who crossed the street with the lollipop
lady for safety.
It was different times in Irish
schools and far from the computerised classrooms of the modern day.
In that same decade attention was
given to the old Irish Industrial schools. A the beginning of the decade the
Kennedy Report found that the residential care system, as it was, should be
abolished and replaced by group homes in a kinder effort towards the children
of those centres.
By 1972 the Marlborough House in
Dublin was closed down along with Galway`s Letterfrack and the Daingean
Industrial School in Offaly also ceased their operations.
Although there was a lot of changes
for Irish schools back then it wasn`t all bad either.
School children were a lot fitter
and mobile than what a lot of the current school goers appear to be as present
day obesity levels in Irish schools are at a high. Street games for children
were very popular, where as now, there is often a reluctance by parents to let
their children play outdoors such is the changing views by many of how things
should be done.
Other Changes were a plenty in that
decade too. For those a little bit older than the child were known for
their stylish twist on things as they wore the flared trousers as a
fashionable attire.
Still, that was a time when Tony
Mangan was a little bit younger and from then until now he remains unchanged in
so many noble ways.
Then he was a fit young boy, now he
is a fit man.
Then, when he wasn`t playing street
games for entertainment and exercise with the other children he book learned
the geography of the world. Now, he continues his unique walk the
world with a message to educate around the globe that ‘ Life is
Precious, Early Cancer Screening Saves Lives’.
Yet the young boy is still there in
Tony as he continues to wear his short trousers and visit schools around the
globe to tell them of his remarkable feat of helping other people. That`s
his work right now.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #15
Cathy Freeman is an Australian field
athlete. She is also an Aboriginal woman. In fact, not only is she both, but
she is the first Aborigine to earn a medal in an individual Olympic event which
occurred in Atlanta in 1996.
In later years Freeman won gold herself
in the 1997 and 1999 world championships and when the Olympic games was hosted
by her native Australia in 2000 she proudly carried her country`s flag in the
opening ceremony in Sydney and then didn`t disappoint her country folk as she
went on to run to victory in the 400 metre final.
Like Freeman, Tony Mangan is a field
Athlete and after spending over a year trotting the roads of Australia he is
now in Aboriginal country where he is being warmly greeted by those in the
Northern Territory of Australia.
Once, there were hundreds of
thousands of Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory even well
before European settlement. These people spoke hundreds of different
languages. For example, the Yolngu came from Arnhem Land and Arrernet, Pijjantatjara
and Warlpiri originated in central Australia.
Back a couple of hundred years ago,
the aboriginals in the Northern Territory began trading with Makassan who were
from Indonesia. The Indonesians came to Australia in order to harvest sea
cucumbers.
In the present day Northern
Territory the Larrakia also known as the ‘Saltwalter people’ exist. They find
themselves as being the custodians of water and land around Darwin. Even now,
over 80 Aboriginal languages are being spoken in this territory with half of the
land there being owned by these residents. This even includes national parks
like Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Kakadu.
European people began to settle in
the Northern Terriotory in 1824 but found it difficult due to its limited
supplies, harsh conditions and isolation. The results meant that people were
often starved, ill or simply failed to live in the area.
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Eventually in 1960 a place named
Darwin was established successfully. It was actually named after the
famous Charles Darwin. Captain John Lort Stokes founded and on the back of it`s
promise Alice Springs originated in 1871. Within another few years gold was
discovered close by and subsequent findings and mining of tin, copper,
manganese, mica, wolfram, bauxite, uranium, oil and gas.
By 1911 the Northern Territory
became a part of the Commonwealth of Australia and separated from South
Australia.
In this past week or so, Tony Mangan
has been walking briskly through the Northern Territory and has been rewarded
by many the kind stranger who has brought him water and placed other bottles of
water further along his route for when he really needs it. In spite of it
getting hotter for Tony up there, there are those in Aboriginal country
who are treating him well due to the originality of his achievements which are
similar to that of their own hero Cathy Freeman.
Although Tony is not seeking to
break any records in this athletic attempt this man is the salt of the earth
and is making Irish people everywhere proud as he continues to fly his
country`s flag during his travels with his message of ‘ Early Cancer
Screen Saves Lives’.
Tony Mangan is the golden one and
like all aboriginals who eventually became heard on the world stage, his
message needs to be listened to loud and clear.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #16
In 1976 Cadburys, the famous
chocolate company, devised a very clever marketing campaign concentrating on
some of their main ingredients that were contained in their chocolate. As they
used fruit and nuts in many of their recipes they used the line ‘Everyone`s a
fruit and nut case’ to highlight their brand.
In this past week Tony Mangan has
been using fruit as a way to re-hydrate and replenish his low energy reserves
as he pounds the pavements.
His renewed energy reminded him of
this time in 2012 when, like this past week, the Champions league final had
just finished. Back then Tony was footing it across Peru in South America.
There he met a respected man by the name of Clemente.
Clemente was a guy who loved to see
travellers visit his way. He even had three guest books that date back 30 years
now. Similar to Tony`s walk in Peru, Clemente told him of two other walkers
namely French Canadian Jean Believue who walked around the globe for 11 years
and Karls Bushby who went around the world without any particular transport to guide
his way. For Tony in Peru that time meeting Clemente and seeing his guess books
gave him a great laugh as he saw how Karl Bushby demonstrated (with the aid of
the guest book )where in the world the most beautiful women resided.
Although Tony is not rating the
women in the towns he passes through he certainly is benefiting from their
sustenance and care as they, along with other people, feed and water him along
the way.
Over the past 3 months of covering
Tony Mangan`s world walk it`s becoming obvious that Tony opens himself out in a
truly colourful way. His personality shines through where all colours of the
spectrum are greeting each new person in each new destination with brightness.
As he walks and soaks in the rays of the sun many would think that he was
de-motivating but with Tony it seems the power of the sun and the abundance of
water that he so kindly receives along the way is making him grow like the
assortment of fruits and vegetables that he passes day by day on the road
side.
As Tony`s healthy and fresh outlook
resembles the fruits of the earth that he trod`s upon, it is gratifying that
with each step he is trampling the fear of cancer for each and every follower
of his world walk and showing that positivity and people`s interconnection
along his world path can help bring about long term cancer relief in the coming
years.
Tony Mangan is leading the way with
cancer awareness as he continues to chant his message that:
” Early Cancer screening Saves
Lives”
Tony`s message will need to be loud
in the coming months as the big ‘ C ‘ continues to rear it`s head around the
developed world.
Ironically, if everyone in the
developed world were to intake the proper amount of nutrients that Tony is so
careful to take on a daily basis , perhaps there would not be so many cases of
cancer?! But then again, like fruits in a basket there are all types of
people who should be making proper dietary choices.
If it was all as simple as having
world full of Tony Mangans there wouldn’t be so many interesting places for Tony
to visit and Cadbury`s wouldn’t have to continue to be as blatantly honest with
their advertising when they, well before their time, made it known that their
sugar filled products were so good that they aid a healthy diet and also help
all types of personalities, how ever strange some may be!
It s a mad world, but then again
“Everyone`s a fruit and nut case”
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #17
When an article is written for a
publication there is particular sequence of events. Firstly, there must be
communication between the writer and the subject that is to be written about.
Then the subject (or the person to be written about) must communicate their
information as accurately as they can. They may also say of any limitations or
considerations that they have with the information they are imparting simply
because they are aware that the content within the article is essentially
coming from their own source.
Once the information is told to the
writer they must then assess the credibility of the information and go through
a series of questions with the subject in order to elicit the correct
information and the most pertinent for the audience of the article. Naturally
then they have to get creative and put a certain sequence to the information or
a twist of interest, so to speak.
Readers like to read interesting
stuff and this is the job of the writer. Lastly, there is one more person that
manages all of this communication. That person is the editor. The editor has a
very responsible position. He or she must read through the finished article and
adjust it’s contents with not just the audience in mind but also, the set of
rules and principles that their publication is governed by in order to be
considered a credible source or publication that is respected in literary
terms.
The whole process takes time. The
whole process takes people. This time is spent between three people. They
communicate between the three of them to make the best outcome for all of them.
This three way communication is there to give satisfaction to each individual
involved and to bring joy at the outcome of the sum of the parts.
This past week Tony Mangan has
communicated with his article writer and in turn the editor. He has told of his
information and in doing so the writer has checked his source. Then the editor
has proof read the findings and considered it’s appeal. In conclusion this is
the completion of the three way activity.
Co-incidentally in this past week
Tony has entered in a threeway. This Threeway is in Australia where his world
walk is continuing.
So, as Tony Mangan recovers from his
time in Threeway he hits the road again. He is thankful that his dealings with
his article writer have been distant and professional and that he can have open
verbal and written communication with the article`s editor also.
Leaving a threeway can be tricky as
it can sap your energy. Thankfully for Tony, the article writer and the editor
are all heterosexual men who just want to talk to one another, otherwise Tony
Mangan would be re-starting his running career and sprinting as far away from
any future male communication in the next random town that he comes into.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the World’ #18
Back in 1990 there was an old song
which rang out with the chant
‘Ole, Ole, Ole, we`re all part of Jackie`s Army, we`re all off to It-al-y’
Ireland was in the midst of economic
deprivation with many school leavers hopping on the boat to the UK in search of
what seemed would be a lifetime of exile. Back then being in the World Cup was
completely surreal for us Irish. In fact, it was the first time that we had
qualified for competition. Two years earlier we had qualified for our
first major senior mens’ soccer tournament and had scored a famous win against
our most fiercest rival England when Ray Houghton headed the winner over
a hapless Peter Shilton.
The chorus that was ringing in every
Irish person`s ears during the Italian World Cup referred to the old English
football hero Jack Charlton who had the Midas touch in turning around the
fortunes and success of the Irish soccer.
Charlton was a no- nonsense type of
individual. He didn’t do finesse. He even ignored much of the talent at his
disposal when he took over the Irish job and instead concentrated on planning
his game play around a laboured style of forceful attach that was epitomised by
a swash buckling ‘ no surrender’ characteristic. Those that had the silky
balls skills were left on the sideline as the team ethic was but to the
foremost in order for the Irish flag to sail high in the international skies.
At that time Tony Mangan was still
enjoying the odd game of football. Although in the midst of his ultra running
career, his fitness leant to his ability on the ball. In spite of Tony`s
athleticism and the extreme time commitments that he had to give to the
preparation to his powerful exploits he still found the odd moment with mates
to have a kick about.
Such was the lingo at that time that
Tony would be undressing as would another member of the other team in order to
design the make shift pitch most probably somewhere at the end of a Dublin
street or a green patch not too far from a track. Then the terminology of using
‘ jumpers for goalposts’ was popular and Tony would have raised a smile or two
as he jinked in and out of the action mimicking the Irish World Cup heroes of
Bonnar, Moran, McGrath, Whelan, Houghton, Sheedy and Cascarino.
Of course that was then and this is
now. At present Tony is walking in aid of cancer awareness all around the
world. He hasn`t time for a kick about and as he wanders the roads he is
constantly wondering about the latest result in the 2018 World Cup whilst manys
the feet of millions around the world are escalated onto sofas and following
each camera angle of this over paid millionaires on a football pitch when their
millions could do so much more for people like Tony and all that he stand for.
It may not be 1990 anymore but it is
World Cup time. Perhaps its time to start a new chant to get more people on
Tony`s side. It may go something like this
‘Ole, Ole, Ole, we`re all part of Tony`s Army, we`re all off to Asia
soon!’
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #19
“All they found of him was a muddy
set of prison clothes, a bar of soap, and an old rock-hammer damn near worn
down to the nub. I remember thinking it would take a man six hundred years to
tunnel through a wall with it. Old Andy did it in less than twenty.”
Back in the 1995 there was a
wonderful movie about how the life of single and successful white male was
thrown upside down when he was wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his
wife`s lover. That man was a clever man, a man who was highly thought of
in the outside world and most of all a man who exuded the ability to think
under pressure and remain solemn and patient in his execution of the finest of
deeds.
His name was Andy Dufresne.
Andy was cool and calculated. Anyone who really knew him on the inside and the
outside world knew that he was pensive within his own thoughts and was a man
that persevered in spite of the odds being against him. Such was his
perseverance that he eventually broke out of the Shawshank state prison and
eventually lived out his life as a rightfully free man.
Another such man who calculates
things in a cool and calm manner and allows his raw ability to lead the
way in spite of all the odds stacked against him is Tony Mangan. Although he
has not been imprisoned, but in fact lives quite the opposite of lifestyles to
old Andy in being free to stride the high ways and by-ways of the globe, he
none the less shares many other attributes with the award winning movie
character.
Tony has done nothing wrong to get
where he is in life. In fact in his former occupation as an ultra-distance
runner he has achieved the lofty heights of success in a similar manner to
Andy`s outside the prison walls success. Like Andy though, Tony`s commitment to
his cause has fractured his possibility to have a long term relationship, yet
his attraction to the ladies is ever growing. For him, who knows what
freedom on his world walk will bring him into contact with next. For soon he
will be going the Asian route and his resilience and chirpy disposition will be
welcomed in many the place including the likes of the land of smiles.
When Tony`s World Walk is done and
dusted, we will all look back and wonder if we got our predictions correct in
how long it took him to complete the journey.
Tony himself will count back on the number of pairs of walking shoes that he
has popped his feet into and ponder on how he ever got this far in the first
place.
In him showing this admirable
resolve it`s no wonder that his current soles of shoes are fading away. Like an
old rock hammer worn down to the nub, Tony will be able to smile and look back
over his time on his worldly feet and take a relieved breath and say quietly to
himself how he has reached his personal paradise of achievement in the same as
old Andy Dufresne found peace by the ocean at the end of his much lauded story
of life.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #20:
There was a cool cat in the 1980s
and 1990s who sang of friendship and entertained millions. His name was
Garfield. Garfield sang:
“When You Feel Like You’re Ready To
Flip
When You Got The World On Your Shoulders
Friends Are There To Give You A Tip
Friends Are There When You Need Them
Their Even There When You Don’t
For A Walk In The Park, For A Shot In The Dark
Friends Are There. Garfield: “I Don’t Care”
But Friends Will Care For You-u-u-u-u-u-u! “
In this past week Tony Mangan has
showed his coolness in spite of all the heat in the past few months in
Australia. He has achieved part of what he has set out to do. After nearly 1
year walking Australia he has calmly reached the ocean`s edge where he now
peers out over the ocean to another continent. That`s some movement, some
walking.
Tony`s completion of Australia comes
after months of adventures and meeting of many kind strangers. He has been
burned, scorched, slept rough, been offered barns, homes and hotels. He has met
poor people, rich people, bar flies, water boys, beautiful women and country
guides. Along the way Tony has mixed with many the type of Aussie and got on
with the all. No one has complained about his fleeting presence in their
communities and many have championed his efforts for raising much needed early
Cancer care screening. With minimal expectation and an old cart for company he
has wandered and become worn at times. Yet still he has moved to a higher point
and soon his fan base will grow as others in Asia begin to find out of his
extra-ordinary ambitions and achievements so far.
Tony has missed many home comforts
in these past years travelling the globe but one of them that he became
recently reacquainted with was his old friend who came to celebrate with him as
he finished his Australian leg of his world walk. It shows how genuine a person
Tony is that this kind act of friendship meant so much to him when he could
have chosen to have other home comforts instead. Of course he had some Barry`s
tea and a Tayto sandwich but this was with his long term mate as a way to
celebrate. As Tony hits Asia he will need more human support. He will meet more
friends but this time there will be a language barrier and perhaps restrictions
to his internet coverage at times. as the old Garfield song said:
“Friends Are There When You Need
Them
Their Even There When You Don’t
For A Walk In The Park, For A Shot In The Dark
Friends Are There. Garfield: “I Don’t Care”
But Friends Will Care For You-u-u-u-u-u-u!”
If you`ve been reading Tony`s
travels and been seeing his videos on line count yourself his friend because he
will need your support in the coming months of his journey. So, be a needed
friend, and support Tony in what is anything but a ‘walk in the park!’
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #21
Donny Hathaway wrote and strongly
sang:
“The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where.”
Tony Mangan is not a song writer or
singer but he is strong.
Although Tony Mangan has left
Australia and is pushing his Karma cart around the wilds of Asia right now, he
still has things on his mind. Just over a week ago when he left Australia and
celebrated this with a very close friend and marvelled at seeing the ocean for
the first time in about a year, even then there was something aching away at
him.
Being the guy he is, it never held
him back. On the contrary, Tony decided to overshadow his remarkable
achievement of walking around Australia by thinking of another.
This time it was his late brother
Brian. Around the time of when Tony`s solo walk was being completed at the edge
of this blue ocean, he was poignantly dedicating this part of the walk to
Brian`s birthday. Around the time Tony reached this point in his world walk
Brian would have turned 60 years of age had he been alive.
Earlier in our chronicle of
Tony`s world walk we heard of his initial motivation to solo stride
through the world for a second time in honour of his late mother who passed
away due to the horrors of cancer.
When you consider that Tony is a
single man and that he rarely spends more a night in any one place in the
world, its extremely motivational to consider that he still smiles at all he
meets.
Now that he is finally in the land
of smiles and that he has gone through an emotional rollercoaster of late lets
hope that he will prosper with the people that lead with a grin and are
pleasent to all they meet.
This is the least that Tony
desearves. Then again, if he doesn’t receive this typical Thai welcome he`ll
soldier on through because there`s one thing for sure with Tony Mangan he`s a
tough guy underneath the softness he has for people. As Donny Hathaway
wrote:
“But I am strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy..”
That’s Tony for you, not a song
writer or singer, but he is strong.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #22
Like everyone else, you want to
learn the way to win, but never to accept the way to lose, to accept defeat, to
learn to die is to be liberated from it. So when tomorrow comes, you must free
your ambitious mind, and learn the art of dying.
Bruce Lee was a famous American martial artiste of Asian decent who moved with
grace and energy. Although he moved with intense purpose through the air
at high speed we always knew he was central to our movie screens whenever
there was action from Asia.
At the beginning of this series of
articles some months ago there was a video accompanying each piece of
writing which often asked the opening question by yours truly each week by
wondering ‘Where`s Tony?’
Not long into each small video clip
it was clear that Tony Mangan of MyWorldWalk.com was somewhere new of note
having fun and frolicking with the natives deep in the southern
hemisphere. Once Tony got to Asia some weeks back it became apparent that
he had little internet band width and communicating with him has
been quite difficult at times.
So, in these past couple of weeks I
have really wondered to myself
‘Where is Tony? ‘What has he been
doing?’ Last night Tony and I eventually got chatting and as I suddenly
enquired as to his whereabouts and queried how he was getting along , he
speedily replied back (all be it in a very brief manner) that his
location was in Laos and that the people are:
‘…smiling in spite of the big flood that the country had just
experienced’.
If you are reading this and wondering where is Laos? then, allow me to
fill you in very briefly.
Laos is located in South East Asia
in-between five countries namely China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Burma.
As a former French colony from 1893,
it was first recognized in the history of humans over 10, 000 years ago.
Then, stone tools and skulls were unearthed. Over the next couple of
centuries humans settled in Laos and the capital became located in
Xiengthong. Now known as Luang Prabang, the capital and the country of
Laos was granted it`s own independence in 1953 after world war 2 had caused
much a rumpus for the natives.
Still, that was not the last of the
wars that they were to experience. In 1964 the USA bombed North Vietnamese
troops who were in eastern Laos and this saw the outbreak of a conflict between
the royalist Vientiane government and the communist Pathet Lao.
As a result eventually the Pathet
Lao took control of their misfortune and created the Democratic Republic in
1975. Over twenty years later in 1997, Laos had matured so much as a market
economy that developed a thriving tourist economy and joined hands with
neighbours to become members of Asean.
Lately there was a major dam
collapse there and reports said that there were 20 dead and over 100 missing as
well as having nearly 7000 people being made homeless.
As Tony Mangan is known to us all as
a resilient sort by trotting around the globe it seems that he is at home
for now in South East Asia. As we have seen his smiling face on many a video
screen up until now then ‘for sure ‘he is meeting his match in the unfortunate
but resilient people of Laos in spite of all their battles and losses and their
smiles in face of what fellow Asian representative Bruce Lee said was the ‘…
art of dying’.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #23
Tony Mangan knows all about the
bush. For a year or so he spent so much time walking the highways and byways of
Australia and there he past many the rural place and met strange,
wild, funny and welcoming characters all surrounded by acres of bush land.
Then there`s a different kind of
bush. One of a more personal sort and that`s the name ” Bush”. Although
Tony does not know Terry Bush, Terry`s words are likened to Tony`s travels at
times:
“There’s a voice that keeps on
calling me
Down the road, that’s where I’ll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend,
Can’t stay for long, just turn around I’m gone again”
Back in the 1980s when Tony
was a younger man exercising (and was still 20 or so years away from ultra
running) he was making us beginning to make us feel as underachievers as
we lay on the sofa and watched RTÉ`s popular
‘ The Littlest Hobo’. Still as we
lazed about after school, the Hobo dog was rambling from town to town and
finding new friends everywhere he went. There he seemed to have an uncanny
knack of meeting new people who needed his advances and who benefited from his
short visit, before ( by the end of each weekly episode) he moved onto the next
town.
Knowing that there are helpful
creatures in life that can just pop into our mundane day to day existences is
really assuring especially if they are travelling about for a greater cause
that our own, or indeed their own lives. That`s what Tony Mangan is continuing
to do as he marches through Asia in aid of early Cancer screening.
Thankfully Tony is fit and well and
is feeling more than cheerful this past while. His smiling and singing
demeanour is motivated by what he sees is the first four of a potentially
record making five-in-a-row of All-Ireland Senior Championship victories by his
native Dublin. Since last Sunday week Tony is brimming in his blue of<em>
The Dubs</em> and happy to notify all that care to listen of how the
capital team are heading towards record breaking territory in the next 12
months.
Still, there have been 3 other Senior
football counties who have tried for the five-in-a-row and have been beaten in
the fifth year. Wexford in 1919 were the first and two Kerry teams also failed
at the fifth hurdle. The most recent of those teams, Kerry in 1982 were
embarrassed when their famous five-in-a-row chant was ended by an unfavoured
Offaly side.
In 12 months it`s hard to know where
The Dubs will be, but for sure Tony Mangan will be continuing to move as he
suspects he will be somewhere state side by then.
As that man Terry Bush wrote so
fittingly and indirectly of Tony Mangan`s travels, perhaps he has a point
though when he said:
“Maybe tomorrow, I’ll want to settle
down,
Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.”
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #24
As the old song goes:
“And because time was on his side”
Time is certainly on Tony Mangan`s side. Although three score years old and
rambling the world like a child at Christmas, he walks with ease and a smile to
all he meets. He has time for everyone he encounters. Everywhere he visits he
has a natural sense of wonder for. That`s Tony Mangan for you and that`s how he
lives his life.
Right now Tony is wandering
around Vietnam and not too far from China. There it is dry and arid. The people
smile simply because they can. It`s a far cry from where Tony was not long
after the recession hit us and he embarked on his trails running the world some
years ago. Then when he eventually set off on his world run (after allowing it
to ruminate in him mind for the previous twenty years or so) he fleet footed
his way from Dublin to west Kerry on his first leg of the almighty ambition. As
the rain and Irish weather was overpowering all that chanced standing out in it
for too long, Tony was different and he just kept running along unfretted by
it’s unwelcoming vibe.
Locals in the south west were
perhaps indoors watching re-runs of the great Kerry teams of the 1970s on finer
Summer days as they clobbered the Dubs in Croke Park, yet one Dub was pounding
the pavements outside and unrelenting to the Kerry ills of climatic punishment.
In went As Tony sought a brief refreshment in a local store, there he was greeted
with the typical Kerry ‘shoot from the hip ‘style of banter from the lady
behind the counter when she said:
“What has you out on a day like today?”
But a quick reply by Tony was:
“I’m running around the world!”
Having an ambition like Mangan`s is
something we can all have, but fulfilling it is quite another thing. Tony is
doing so for a second time.
There`s that word again ‘Time’. As
Tony`s old songster Bob Dylan continued to sing:
“…Now your dancing child with his Chinese suit he
Spoke to me,
I took his flute No,
I wasn’t very cute to him, was
I?
But I did it, because he lied and
Because he took you for a ride…”
Soon Tony will be in China. He will
have met thousands of folk from all around the yet he will always remember that
Kerry woman who retorted in reply to his audacious admittance of ‘I’m running
around the world’ with a sharp reply that it was simply ‘ a bad day’ to
begin such an attempt.
Had she looked at Tony in the eye
and gasped at his manly and outrageous ambition, she may have been better to
have jumped the counter and hoped on the back of a Dub that is definitely going
somewhere and can sing the old Bod Dylan number to any lady who`ll perk her ear
to his charming ways of worldly wonder.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #25
In 1986 thee was a movie released
starring the famous Eddie Murphy who had to travel away from his easy breezy
single life in the US all the way to Tibet, somewhere in Asia. There,
Murphy (who played the character of Chandell Jarrell) was a private detective
specialising who specialised in missing children was summoned to save a special
child. During the adventure that he went through Jarrell was directed by Kala
the dragon lady who briefed him on why he was the one to save this very
important child.
Chandler Jarrell: Tell me about the
Golden Child.
Kala: Every thousand generations, a perfect child is born, a Golden Child. He
has come to rescue us.
Chandler Jarrell: Rescue us from what?
Kala: From ourselves.
Chandler Jarrell: Ah.
Kala: He is the bringer of compassion. If he dies, compassion will die with
him.
Chandler Jarrell: So, if something happens to the kid, the whole world goes to
hell?
Kala: The world will become hell.
Tony Mangan is not a Chandler
Jarrell though he has some similarities to him. After all, like Jarrell, he has
left his native country for the good of a greater need for mankind in spreading
his word that early cancer screen is necessary for all. Not just that, he
is also a single man.
Lately, as he stooped to
get some pockets sown into his walking shirt he encountered a
nice female dressmaker. Although she was quite helpful she soon began to
show signs of incredible affection for Tony when she said things like:
‘Are you married?’ and ‘Why are
you not married because you are very handsome!’ and this was followed by ‘I
have no husband’ and ‘What about me?’ and ‘Will you marry me Tony?’
Still Tony being the gentleman that
he was politely declined the kind lady`s broken English advances. That`s not to
say that he didn`t appreciate the compliments but Tony is catch in anyone`s
mind and something more than a quick proposal is required to settle him down.
After all he has plenty more mileage to go to complete his world walk.
For now, somewhere in Asia, he
strides out one foot after another. Tony Mangan is no Chandler Jarrell, but due
to his compassion and ability to spread his noble message he will save many
from the torture of their own personal hell when suffering from cancer. He is
one in a thousand generations. Maybe, like the golden child, that female
dressmaker saw that there is special child like quality within him.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #26
Tony Mangan was born in Dublin in
1958. He was an innocent and harmless little boy lived in a simple Ireland. He
was an obedient and active child.
Now he is entering China. When
he does his passport will be checked. There the Chinese officials will be
understood for being surprised at the amount of stamps that have been placed on
his passport in aid of preventing cancer and instead heralding attention for
early cancer screening.
For the Chinese to be wary of such
an immigrant is not unusual for them. For it was more than 2,300 years that the
Long Wall of China was built. It was built in different areas by a variety
of dynasties throughout their history to protect different territorial
borders.
It was this time of the year in
Autumn ( and partly in Spring) that the first part of the wall was built. Then
the eastern and central region of the country consisted of many small
princedoms. It is thought that the earliest part was built between the states
of Lu and Qi around 650BC.
From 247- 221 BC Qin Shihuang became
emperor of China and he ordered that the northern part of the wall built by
Qin, Zhao and Yan be all joined together. This all took 9 years to complete. By
this time the wall was in excess of 5,000 kilometers.
Then, after Qin died, the Han
dynasty took over. Orders to strengthen and lengthen the wall were
obliged and the wall grew from the North Korea coast near Pyongyang in the east
to Jade Gate Pass in the west .
Though a short leadership of China
the Northen Qi dynasty ( 550-577) still further built up the wall and even
constructed an ‘Inner Great Wall’ before the Sui Dynasty (581–618)
fortified things further in their time.
The Song Dynasty (960–1279) and the
The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) continued to fortify the wall before eventually in
sixty one years ago it was opened to the public as a tourist attraction.
Throughout all of these Chinese
dynasties the wonder is ‘why was the great wall of China built in the first
place?
In reality, China wanted to be
defended from intruders and invasion. Yet not, the wall comprising of
21,196.18 km in length allows people to walk it.
Oddly, as Tony Mangan is in his
sixty first year on earth and was born around the time the wall was opened to
the public and as he has a habit of walking thousands of kilometers, he now
enters China with perhaps, another strip of a walk to wander to add to his
World Walk.
With all those royal dynasties of
Chinese people you would think that they would have seen the intrusion of Tony
Mangan as being unwelcome and continued to build the wall so that he could not
come in to their country.
Then again, Tony was always an
innocent and harmless little boy who came from simple Ireland. His
obedience and active childlike qualities should walk throughout China with
little fuss.
Still, let`s hope his presence
in China does not throw off the centuries of leadership and motivate the
Chinese to begin building a wall in order stop us all from wondering at the awe
of both their and Tony’s achievements.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #27
Tony Mangan is no Forrest Gump.
Although the classic movie featured
a man, who at one stage of his adult life decided to react to his romantic ups
and downs by hitting the road on foot and running for as long as he felt like
it, Tony is very different.
Sure, Tony has run the world, but he
has done so with true athleticism and precision of timing. Gump, on the other
hand, was unsure of his timing and just let one foot fall after another as he
aimlessly found flight from the fright of his romantic defeat.
Another way is which you could not
begin to compare Tony with Forrest is the fact that Tony, unlike Forrest, has a
knack with the ladies. After all, he is a happy person as the fairer
gender tends to be more emotional, let`s face it, if you encounter a
positive person like Tony Mangan then you`re emotions are bound to make you
feel better.
Still on Tony`s recent a challenge
he has met what seems like a more realistic comparison to Forrest Gump himself.
Forrest not only ran himself from
one end of the country to the other but in one of his many other achievements
became a member of the All America ping pong Army team who were the first team
to visit China in what he stated was:
The first team visit] in something like a million years… or something like
that!
In meeting his friend Kevin in China
of late Tony has met a man whose skill with the small ping pong ball compares
with Gump`s natural steady hand reactions and visual concentration and a man
who would probably defeat the talented character played by Tom Hanks if given
the opportunity in the 1994 movie classic.
Seeing as Tony glided into welcoming
China without a fuss a couple of week`s back and he has made so many friends
already it`s fair to say he`s as opposite as Gump as can be.
Kevin, his Chinese friend, though
could represent China with skill and aplomb that would make Forrest call for
more Americans to back him up such is Kevin`s steely concentration that
many Chinese athletes exude when calling upon their competitive
instincts.
So in meeting Kevin and becoming
friendly with his majestic skill it`s clear Tony Mangan could never be
compared with Forrest Gump. In fact, if you were to compare him with Gump you`d
be right to the accused of being quite silly. Why? well, as the great
character of the same entitled movie Forrest Gump once repeatedly uttered the
wise words of his mother when saying:
” Stupid is as stupid does”
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #28
Communism is:
” a form of socialism—a higher and more advanced form, according to its
advocates”
It is system of social organisation
where one`s property is owned by the community.
Historically back in
1949 communist revolutionaries led by Mao Zedong seized control of China.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came into formation in 1921 after being
inspired by the Russian revolution. Chinese economic and political turmoil in
the 1930s as well as Japan’s invasion of northern China, allowed Mao and the
CCP to increase support and work towards a revolution. A CCP victory in China
carved a way for a huge dynamic change in global affairs there after. As the
most populous nation on Earth with 540 million people China was soon to be
ruled by communism that gave way to an Asian Cold War. The people of
China,though living in a country that was undergoing modernisation and
industrial growth were under authoritarian leadership, rigid social control and
eventual mass starvation.
In the more modern day this was seen
when Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games.
The Olympic flag has five coloured
rings on it.These rings are interwoven representing unity of the five
continents of Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Each colour
represents each nations flag colours who partake in the competition every four
years.
Yet in the past decades China’s
human rights record has been the known for being far from suitable. By it
hosting the Olympics in 2008 China was set to receive boycotts from Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Tony Mangan is not a political
figure. Nor is he one who preaches to masses to states on how they should
govern their fiscal or economic policies. Rather, Tony has one defined but more
international message which dictates to have ‘ Early Cancer Screening’. His
message is one from experience of living a loved one and his passion is
to preach to all in his path the importance of living well and being healthy.
Is Tony Mangan a communist? as
Communism wishes for people to have shared ownership of their property you
could say that Tony is one as he is caring and open to share his good word. Is
he a communist if he shares his little push cart, or is there really someone
who wants to push it with him? who knows!
One thing is for certain though, Tony may not have run in the Olympics but his
international appeal is growing and he is uniting all continents as he crosses
the main colours that they posses.
As the Olympic motto
says: “Faster, Higher, Stronger” Tony Mangan exudes these
qualities bringing people together and spreading good cheer throughout
welcoming China as he trots along his way.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #29
Eddie Huang is s an Chinese-American
chef, restaurateur, food personality, producer, and attorney. His life also
inspires the hit TV series Fresh off the Boat. He is also well known in America
for his famous foods from home.
Tony Mangan is becoming well known
and well liked in China too. His round the world stories are being told to all
he meets and many are finding his tales of globe trotting as being extremely
entertaining. Yet Tony still walks alone. Every time he has to stop, it is
either for a night`s rest or for a meal that his tiring body must absorb in
order to keep his strength up as he hits the author, highways and byways of the
east.
Being able to chat to the locals is
a welcome distraction for a person so long on the road and having the appetite
to eat when he stops along his way is welcomed. That hungry is satisfied by the
delectable dishes that he absorbs along the way.
As Eddie Huang is now becoming famed
in his adopted land of America, Tony Mangan is becoming adored in his visiting
land of Huang`s parents’ homeland of China.
Still, that`s not the only
similarity both men have. In fact both have a liking for books. Not many
people know that although Tony Mangan is a storyteller of sorts as he walks
through China in each town that he visits. he also puts these stories on paper.
Tony, like Eddie Huang, is also an author of books.
Eddie Huang created his memoir of
his time growing up in America as one of three sons to Taiwanese
immigrants. He documented how he struggled with his identity growing up, his
affection for hip hop and African American culture and his experience with
racism.
Tony Mangan, on the other hand, has
no stories of his hip hop days, his kinship with African American culture as he
grew up in a largely Irish Catholic culture in North Dublin, or of any ups and
downs relating to racism.
Yet, like Huang, he has
stories that are worth reading about in book format. Who knows, but soon Tony
Mangan may have his own movie and considering all his worldly travels and his
current time in China he may consider calling it Fresh off the Boat!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #30
The Oxford English Dictionary
defines a Dublin ‘Jackeen’ as a
“Contemptuous designation for a
self-assertive worthless fellow”
The term dates back to the time of
the potato famine in Ireland around 1840. Other reports say that a Jackeen
is a ‘fellow who does very little for a living and wants to do less.’ So,
is Dublin’s Tony Mangan that Jackeen?
The term ‘Jackeen’ was used by ‘The
Kerry Examiner’ back in February 1854 to refer to those in Dublin who
contributed more than their quota to the ranks of the British army and military
records and that these were great soldiers from the Irish capital.
Yet Tony was not thinking that
recently as he was busy walking through Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is an autonomous
territory. It was once even a British colony. Located in the southeastern part
of China, it is reported to be a densely populated location that has vibrancy
at it’s core. As a major financial hub, Hong Kong boasts sky scrapers that
almost nudge the sky as one peers up through the powerful night lights.
As a central business district it
features architectural landmarks such as I.M. Pei’s Bank of China Tower. Due to
its buzz filled with people, it is a major shopping destination, famous for its
bespoke tailors and Temple Street Night Market.
It’s funny why references to ‘Dubs’
being said to be lazy, without work, or related to the British army can turn
our eyes toward that one Dub Tony Mangan. After all, he lives quite a different
life than all of that. Tony walks through his life and, though a short-sighted
person may note that he no longer clocks in and out for a day’s wages, others
may notice that his occupation is so unique that it does the work of many
agencies, organisations and associations in the way he modestly markets the
need for greater early Cancer screening on an international scale.
The fact that he has been through
the boastful business-wise territory of Hong Kong (which has such strong
links with Great Britain) can almost provide a bit of worry to many, especially
with Brexit around the corner.
In comparing ‘Jackeen’ Mangan to
such derogatory and hopeless terms is futile, as his actions of positivity
speak for themselves.
For Tony Mangan is no bumbling Brit,
rather he is a true soldier of Irish freedom.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #31
Recently Tony Mangan`s website noted
that Tony had now walked over 27,400 kilometres. That translates to well
over 16,000 miles in old money. All that has been achieved in around 800 road
days, or almost three years since he began this quest. It`s some mammoth effort
of human movement and shows that Mangan is well on his way to achieve his world
walk in the coming years. It makes you wonder about really long distances and
what humans can achieve over such milestones. What Tony won`t brag about though
is that the World Runners Association (WRA) minimum distance required for his
walk to be legitimate is a distance of only 26,232/km but of course, for man as
humble and giving as Tony it’s not always about going for records.
Of late, when Mangan arrived in China
his feet hit the turf on solid ground when others from the country were doing
the opposite in leaving their country and hopping into their cars for a long
ride across a bridge that had been newly opened to connect mainland China to
Hong Kong and Macau.
Marketed as the “world’s
longest sea bridge,” and with a $20 billion price tag the project took
nine years of construction and with it came a lot of controversy. Those
that supported the bridge believed that it was a worthwhile project as it would
massively reduce the time it takes to travel between the three a fore
mentioned places. This gives a reduced time journey from three hours down to
only 30 minuets instead.
However, there have been critics of
the build too. Criticisms that are not just criticisms of the bridge`s impact
that it`s construction had on it`s surrounding habitat but that it meant
there were tragedies as people lost their lives during it`s creation. In all,
nine worker on the bridge have died and even 200 workers were injured during
it`s years long project. Further problems results when it was discovered that
subcontractors were endangering their workers as safety on the bridge was
questioned. At one stage prior to the bridge opening there were photos of the
bridge made public showing how concrete blocks were floating away from it
highlighting that not all may not be as it should be throughout the
build.
In it`s entirety though the
task was considered an achievement. Once it was finished it totalled 55
kilometres in length, that`s 34 miles in older translations.
A marvellous achievement by the
Chinese designers, architects, contractors, and builders.
Still, they are no Tony Mangan. For
he is but one man who will walk much longer than one bridge. In time, he will
walk the whole world and instead of their being injuries or deaths his noble
message for cancer awareness will help save many instead.
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #32
“When you walk through a storm, Hold
your head up high, And don’t be afraid of the dark”
As Tony Mangan wanders around the
world and is mostly alone with his thoughts quite often, he begins to wonder
about mundane things. After all, despite him having a superhuman ability to
travel on two legs, the rest of him is human. As he walks around he doesn`t just
like to keep his body active but, with all that blood bouncing around into his
head, he`s aware that his mind needs to be kept going to. If he was to spend
too much time thinking about why he is walking, to ‘<em>educate people of
getting early cancer screening</em>’, then he would make himself feel
very down indeed.
So, Tony being Tony, chooses to keep
himself motivated with upbeat measures of other pleasantries that are going on
in the world around him.
Coming from the part of the world
that he comes from and being an athlete like he is, it`s little wonder that one
of the things he does to keep himself entertained along the long road is to
continually update himself on the sporting developments around the world. That
not only whets his competitive juices but it also provides a great way to
continually connect with people back in Ireland who are of the same ilk as him
and who have similar interests to him.
Thankfully for Tony one of his
favourite pass times over the years has been football, and not just playing
football because let`s face it, when you have tens of kilometres walked
everyday and are facing into much of the same the following day you are going
to want to rest, but rather, following football.
As Tony is a champion of athletics
himself his energy has always resonated with like minded successful teams and
ones that are as connected with Ireland also. That`s where his love of
Liverpool Football Club came to pass some years ago.
Lately, as we chatted, Tony and I
stumbled across this mutual grá for the ‘Mighty Reds’ and we swapped opinions
on team selections and old stories of more successful eras of times gone by for
the Merseysiders. It became very clear to me that Tony`s excitement levels for
the then up and coming pivotal top of the table Premier League clash between
the champions Manchester City and the challengers Liverpool was foremost in his
mind. Both of us swapped theories and ideas on the potential outcome of the
game and I left Tony with the knowledge that he would be a very happy man once the
‘Mighty Reds’ had disposed of ‘City’ which would have put them 10 points adrift
at the top of the table with only 17 games remaining.
Alas, it was not to pass and that
long road of Tony`s must have seemed much longer the following morning as this
link with his past and his homely heroes had let him down as it has to many
Liverpool supporters since their last League triumph in 1990.
Still, there are 15 games to go and
Liverpool are 4 points ahead of Manchester City and who knows the overall
outcome may make Tony smile yet. Until May of this year we won’t know the
outcome. For the next few games when Tony sees red he will rue what could have
been. He will feel lonely for home, that memory of 1990 when fellow Irish men
like Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton and Steve Staunton wore the red of Liverpool
and Ireland in more successful times.
For now Tony will just put one foot
in front of the other and hope for a better result the next day.
For the Liverpool supporters at
home we know that we too can hope of a better performance next time but, in the
mean time, we can follow Tony as each step is worldly success and that, unlike
many Premier League stars, he is so accessible to us all online as he travels
the world for all of our health.
So Tony, don`t worry we are with you
along the way and be assured
“You’ll never walk alone!”
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #33
On the Tuesday night Manchester
City`s little diminutive goal scorer added to his tally after only 24 seconds
to pile the pressure on the ‘Mighty Reds’ who had decided to go on holiday for
the previous week.
By the following evening the
pressure was back on Liverpool but, not in a bad way. This was good pressure,
considering their nearest title rivals ‘City had failed to build on their early
opening advantage against a bottom half at best rarely competitive Newcastle
side.
Tony Mangan was loving the rivalry.
As he took each step on the Wednesday evening he was sure that the
Liverpudlians were taking their first steps into history as they were hotly
fancied against a Leicester side that seemed to have nothing big on their radar
for the final third of the season save to continue to credit their former owner
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
It all seemed a nice position to be
in with only 15 games to go in the league and a win would see Jurgen Kloop`s
men 7 points clear of last years winners. Within the first couple of minutes up
stepped Sadio Mane and he slotted home to make the supporters day and the ‘City
fans biting their finger nails with one game less to play.
Meanwhile, Tony Mangan was walking.
That evening he was on a time pressure himself having to reach security at an
airport just to keep his World Walk on schedule for the good of others less
fortunate. Doing what he does day in, day out. Simple consistency and easy
motivation for a man so committed to what he`s doing. Far from a holiday he was
on that evening even though his beloved <em>Mighty Reds</em> had
flown half way across the world only a few days before to have a break yet, in
the mean time, Mangan had walked the Republic of Philippines with his pal Francis
Cosgrave. Undeterred by the potential of an armchair and a beer (as many men of
his age would be swigging as they lay back on holiday) Tony was spreading his
message of <em>early cancer screening saves lives</em> to a country
whose similar Catholic values to that of the Ireland that Tony grew up in were
smiling with every stride that he took.
By the time Tony got to his
destination that night news had filtered through that Liverpool had only
managed a 1-1 draw at home to a Leicester team that had little if anything to
play for. For what many punters were hailing as the champions elect were
instead sluggish, unmotivated and in truth, deserved little cheer as the crowd
were subdued throughout the second half.
The commentators remarked throughout
that there was one man who showed some spark and that was Mane.
Still, you would have to wonder
about the <em>Mighty Reds</em> and if they left their passion on
holidays and even if they deserved to be a further point ahead of Manchester
City that night as their fortunate draw inching them that bit more ahead. This
is especially pertinent when you consider they failed to overcome West Ham
United only days after the ‘City clash. Still Sadio once again came to the
rescue for the ‘Pool that night also.
Had they someone like Tony Mangan on
their team they would have far more pep in their step.
For Tony Mangan he`s the man, eh?
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #34
Why return to China?
That`s the question I`ve been asking
myself for a few days before Tony Mangan and I got in touch recently. When he
told me that he was again back in the communist state I wondered aloud and
asked him ‘Why return there?’. Yet Tony never replied to me. So, I asked myself
‘Why not ?’
It`s not nice to communicate with
someone and be given a brick wall as an answer. Surely that`s the sort of thing
the American leader rather than the Irish leader of freedom Tony Mangan would
do?! After all, that`s not the type of guy that Tony is. Being so happy when he
meets new people and for everyone from such an array of cultures having time
for him it didn`t seem to add up. It all seemed to bemuse me, so I had to
investigate.
Around the time that Tony returned
China was changing again. This time though it was not a political revolution,
rather, it was the changing of the calendar. The Chinese New Year or the Spring
Festival as it has also been known was occurring as Tony flashed his passport
across state lines.
As the annual New Year occurs on no
specific date due to it being based off a lunar calendar I wasn`t sure if this
had anything to do with Tony`s arrival there. Although he`s Irish, you couldn`t
over accuse him of praying to the Gods too often as the New Year traditions often
demand. Tradition also notes that an ancient monster can often be fought
off at this time of the year, but, then again Tony is a lover, not a fighter.
Although single, Tony`s not the type to hire fake girlfriends as he`s loved the
world around by the opposite of sex, unlike many Chinese who seek the services
of the opposite of gender at this time of year. Perhaps then, it was the fact
that many country people receive lucky money in red envelopes, the eating of
dumplings, the wine or the glorious deserts that are customary at this first
day on the calendar? Not so, it seemed.
So why did he return?
Eventually, I figured it out. For it
was Tony who just couldn`t miss a good party and as he had his lucky red outfit
in his bag he popped it on to signify that other well worn custom of every
Chinese person wearing red for the annual celebration!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #35
Tony Mangan does not do dating
profiles, but if it did it would look something like this:
TonyToes Says Happy Valentines to
You!
Non-Smoker with Athletic
body type
City: It
varies!
Age: 60 Year Old Male
Height: 5`9″
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Relationship Staus: Is
looking for a relationship,
true friendship along the road, sponsorship
for all his wonderful helping of others!
Education:The World Wide Phd
Personality: Athletic World Record Breaker!
I am Seeking a: Woman
Do you drink?: To
Celebrate My Many Achievements that Help Others!
Marital Status: Single
Hair Color:Brown
Do you have a car?: Well I could
do with a lift now and then!
Longest Relationship:80 Days
around the world!
About TonyToes:
He`s an incredible guy! If you like
travel then you’ll love Tony Toes. This man has seen it all and done it
all.
If you`re wondering if this guy keeps in shape, well then just hang with
him for a day or two and you`ll see what energy he truly has. Is he like other
men who lay about and watch TV all evening, are you kidding me this guy should
be on TV! Is he loving and kind? Well, giving up his whole life to walk around
the world for the good of others answers hat one.
Does he like nights in?
He sure does, so if you know a place
to stay on any given night he gladly take a spare bed.
What about nights out? He has slummed it with
the best of them out there as he has no fear where he has to pitch his tent, so
long as it gets him from A to B the next day to help others.
Is he boring?
Ah come on, TonyToes anything but!
Does he like to eat out? This man
loves a good feed so if you’re offering?
What are his long term
commitment levels like? Well, if he
is willing to walk all around the world for people he has never met imagine
what he`d do for you!
Oh lastly, what size are his
feet? He has big shoes to fill and if you can find a
man better than him please get in touch!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #36
The song writer Robert Dorough got
it wrong. He wrote:’
Three is a magic number’
Ya it is, its a magic number.
Somewhere in that ancient mystic
trinity;
You’ll get three, As a magic
number’
You see a song like this with it`s
happy clappy ding dong rhythm is all well and good to listen to you when life
is giving you lemons. This is reemphasised when you notice it lasts a total of
about three minutes to sing.
Yet it does not really cut the
mustard when we think of the likes of 3 years in a normal person`s life.
Lets look at the evidence.
In the first three years of a human
being`s life they go from only being able to lie down to running and jumping.
Initially they have no idea of what words are and then, within that time frame,
many can manipulate parents on the palm of their own little hand.
Teenagers seem to grow into young
women and men from the early transition of chemicals that a 13 year old
experiences to the heady times of sweet sixteen. Rather that look childish,
many young ladies have a young woman`s physique while young men are strutting
their stuff with wispy facial hair.
Young adults are often embarking on
a college course and within three years they go from fumbling post primary
students to university graduates with the world at their feet.
Yet many of these types of humans
are going through natural transitions of development or are being led by
teachers that have expertise.
But what then about those that are super
humans?
That`s the bracket Tony Mangan fits
into. Three years is a long time alone. Sure you may insist that he has been
bumping into people everywhere he goes. You may also say he has the life of
Riley as he seems to be a celebrity every where he arrives. Still though, he is
alone.
Alone he may be but he is alone as a
leader. Tony is leading the worldly message of ‘Early Cancer Screen Saves
Lives’. He is doing this of his own free will. Doing it simply because he wants
to help in his own way. He uses his superior athleticism to touch people,
villages, towns, cities, countries and continents to ripple his Cancer care
awareness throughout the planet.
Maybe Robert Dorough was right after
all, especially when we keep Tony in mind?
‘The past, the present, the
future,Faith, and hope, and charity,
The heart, the brain, the body,
Will give you three,
Its a magic number ‘
…considering that he has been
walking the world for others for 3 whole years today, this song could be
renamed ‘3 of a Tony Mangan’!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #37
Tony Mangan needs to stop walking or
else he is sure to fall off the Earth. The round the world walker is testing
not only his human limits, but, the limits of the universe as he toddles from
one city to the next. He is tempting fate and someone needs to stop him as soon
as they can. If he is left walking any longer he will officially be the first
human being to fall off the Earth. His tomb stone will read :
‘He walked the world for so many who
fell ill but until he fell he was not ill’
By the way, this is not according to
yours truly or to fake news. Rather, it is the truth that all humans have been
hidden from for many a generation. Thanks to NASA who claimed we have a
spherical planet it`s motivated a growing international community to believe
that the Earth is not sphere shaped but instead simply flat.
Check it out.
You can test it yourself by standing on lands end and looking as far as your
eye can see. If you can see over a couple of hundred metres out into the ocean
then how could the earth be sphere shaped? After all, should it not have a
curve which means you can`t see flat land that far?
Another piece of evidence, according
to the ‘Flat Earth’ community, which proves the Earth is flat states that if
you check out the soles of your shoe they are indeed flat and if you were to
walk on a curved surface it should make the shoe curved in return.
In the United States, 34% of 18-24
year olds believe that the Earth is not round. Recent survey results of over
7,000 US citizens said that 4% of Americans feel the world is round, 5% think
they always believed the world to be round but have recently become skeptical.
An even lower, 2%, say it is flat with another 2% thinking that they always
thought the Earth was flat, but, have recently become skeptical. The remaining
percentage (7%) just weren’t sure of their opinion. Such is it`s popularity
that Netflix have a documentary on the community of people.
Whether Tony Mangan knows about the
‘Flat Earth’phenomenon is unknown.
For now, all we can do is cross our
fingers and hope Tony survives and keeps upright. If his social media is
anything to go it`s hard to know that after over 3 years walking the ‘Flat
Earth’ how he is still keeping his feet on the ground and not somewhere
dangling into the universal unknown while his feet plod one after another as if
hanging on to the biggest cliff edge a-round!
Tony Mangan ‘ Walk Around the
World’ #38
It`s a long an lonely road when your
on your own and away from home.
Sure, you can bump into the odd straggler along the way but in general, they
are not your friends or those you`ve grown up with. For most people this is
very liberating and for Tony Mangan, who is a truly mature and independent
adult, this is the way it is , mostly. Yet, when you are away from home and
it`s a special occasion it`s usually a time when you would much prefer to be
home and meeting up with friends and family. When the national holiday bounces
from the calendar that`s surely a time when you want to kickback and hang
around with friends and even foes. Not so for Tony who will continue to walk
the world in his quest for educating people about ‘Early Cancer Screening’.
Others in his native Ireland will be
walking too, but this time for a
different reason. They`ll be taking part in the annual St. Patrick`s Day
parade. Though Tony will walk for cancer awareness, most people around the
world on the March 17th will be walking for tradition. It makes you
wonder then would Tony take the day off if he was back home in Ireland or would
he just join in with the St. Patrick`s Day shenanigans on the streets of his
native Dublin?
I mean Tony really doesn`t look too
special as he makes the miles up
walking around Asia. He`s usually wearing a suitably adequate short pants for
the heat that enraptures him as the sun shines and his cardio reaches a higher
level than most, an old shirt, and while one hand guides his stride the other
pulls along his trusty cart with his worldly belongings. Nothing fancy. Surely
nothing that anyone would feel is good enough for a showpiece in the St.
Patrick`s Day parade? Hardly.
Then again, even if he did finish
his world walk right now he`d have clocked up over three years of continuous
walking around the world. No mean feat. Surely that achievement alone would
mean he`d make it in the cultural central piece of the Irish calendar year.
After all, if someone like Tony (who pertains to be the proverbial ‘ordinary
man’) can achieve such an extra-ordinary feat then it would be great for all
other ordinary bystanders to see him as he waves to the crowd of onlookers on
the national holiday.
Still, there is that style issue
that Tony has. Maybe, that`s why he still hasn`t got that official invitation
yet to partake in the Dublin city parade of 2019?!
Lately in China, he was kitted out
with a new clothing style for walking. Perhaps if Tony was to wear it every day
for the next year he may be the St. Patrick`s Day 2020 Grand Marshal?
Tony Mangan ‘Walk Around The World’ #39
In 1987 there was a big hit movie
staring the 3 heart throbs Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson and the every sexy Tom
Selleck. It was called ‘Three Men and a Baby’. In the movie the three men were
busy and successful single men who were all rooming together in the Big Apple.
All three were seen as catches in
the trendy New York single life and their lives could not be more fun as they
enjoyed the frolicking of single manhood in the city that never sleeps. Then,
suddenly, all their lives came to crashing halt when they discovered a female
infant left on their doorstep that was supposedly Jack’s ( the character played
Ted Danson) daughter.
Of late, Tony Mangan and myself met
in another city. This one was far smaller than New York . In an old part of
Dublin we met and chatted for a few hours.
As I wandered down through the south
inner city of Ireland`s capital I realised that there was indeed a charm to the
people and the locality which was surrounded by bright red brick houses.
Although it was no New York, as I
stopped one or two passers by for exact directions to where I was meeting Tony,
the locals willingness to help and their quick witted humour seemed to be
entwined with their pride of place when they described what twist and turn to
take for the precise location of our meeting.
Since then, Tony has returned to his
world walk. He is now somewhere in China. Like most of us who follow Tony I
wonder daily ‘where will he go next?’ and ‘who will he meet?’. I mean, you
never do know with Tony.
But then, I should have guessed it.
As Tony always knows the best place to go and the best people to meet along the
way. After all, he has that south Dublin charm and wit and, with it, he can out
do a trio of Hollywood heart throbs of Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson and the
every sexy Tom Selleck.
Although it took three men to look
after one baby girl in the hit movie, Tony did it alone in China of late. Now
on he goes to the bright lights of yet another town. If he can do alone what
three Hollywood actors did with just one baby, the females need to watch out as
Mangan walks into the next towns along his worldly path.
