Man’s trek to the Sahara Desert to plant a Mayo flag in the sand there
Tom Monaghan from Irishtown, County Mayo, recently set out on an adventure that was about more than just travelling.
In the spirit of pride, belonging, and community, Mr Monaghan completed a 2,400 km round trip to the Sahara Desert to plant the Mayo flag in the sand near the Moroccan–Algerian border.
"Bringing the green and red of Mayo to one of the most remote places on Earth was my way of honouring the incredible spirit of home in Irishtown that connects us all, no matter how far we go," said Mr Monaghan.
"We always want to share stories that show the lengths we will go to for our county. That was the basis of my inspiration, to travel all the way to the Sahara Desert to plant that Mayo flag in the sand."
Mr Monaghan’s connection to Mayo runs deep, and his inspiration for making the long journey to the Sahara stems from his upbringing.
"I grew up as a foster child, so when I was born, I was placed with a family in County Mayo," he explained, "I was very lucky because a lot of foster children don't get the opportunities that I got; a lot of children are put in and out of care and go to different foster homes.”
Mr Monaghan was placed in long-term foster care with a family in Irishtown, where he has remained ever since.
Now 29, he says that stability gave him a strong sense of continuity and belonging, grounding his identity firmly in Irishtown and the wider Mayo community.
A lifelong Mayo supporter, he played in goal for his local club, Davitts GAA, for ten years and has attended many All-Ireland finals. Reflecting on those games, he admitted that while the results didn’t go their way, the county’s spirit never wavered.
"Mayo still showed up,” he said,”We always do."
Beyond sport, Mr Monaghan has always found ways to represent his community, from serving as Communications and Entertainments Officer with the UCD Students’ Union to representing Mayo in the European Youth Parliament.
He now sits on TUSLA’s Care Experienced Expert Panel, a national initiative focused on improving the lives of young people in foster care.
His pride in Mayo, he says, stems from that same sense of belonging he found growing up in Irishtown.
For Mr Monaghan, the decision to travel thousands of kilometres to the Sahara Desert was about more than the adventure.
"The journey to the Sahara was about more than going for the craic," he said, "It was about pride, belonging, community and the green and red of Mayo and the incredible spirit that connects us all so much, particularly at home in Irishtown."
That sense of connection has only deepened since Mr Monaghan moved abroad. After completing his studies, he moved to Lanzarote about a year ago to enjoy some sunshine.
Yet, even thousands of kilometres from home, reminders of Mayo are never far away. Working in an Irish bar, he is constantly meeting fellow Mayo people.
“We get people from every county in Ireland here, but the people from Mayo are just a pick above the rest, and they are always looking out for you,” he said.
Meeting fellow Mayo people overseas brings both pride and a touch of homesickness.
"When you live abroad, you realise how much coming from Mayo becomes part of your identity," he said. "That's what inspired me to do something symbolic, something that shows how far we Mayo people are willing to go for the green and red of our county."
With that thought in mind, he began to imagine a journey that would symbolically carry Mayo’s spirit to one of the most remote places on Earth.
"The Sahara Desert. I just got a notion one day - it's vast, it's remote, it's timeless, but for me it was my way of saying, no matter how far from home we are, that Mayo spirit always comes with us."
The five-day round trip began with a flight from Arrecife in Lanzarote to Marrakesh, where he spent the first evening exploring the city before settling into a hostel.
The next morning, he joined a group of twelve travellers on a minibus heading for the desert.
The journey took them through the Atlas Mountains, rural villages, and the ancient UNESCO World Heritage site of Aït Benhaddou, before travelling deeper into North Africa.
On the third day, they reached the edge of the Sahara. Mounted on camels, they rode for an hour and a half across the sands as the sun set, before reaching a campsite for the night.
Mr Monaghan described the night in the campsite as one of wholesome interactions with people from different communities from all around the world.
"In those moments I thought to myself - 'wow, I'm so glad that I have the Mayo flag with me'. It was my way of saying, no matter how far from home you are, that Mayo spirit travels with us all the way."
The next morning, the group took quad bikes back through the desert, and watched the sun rise.
They were met by representatives from the local community, who welcomed the group and expressed their gratitude for visitors who had travelled from across the globe.
"That made me feel very proud because I was the only man there from Mayo," said Mr Monaghan.
After an 11-hour minibus journey back to Marrakesh, he caught his flight home, completing a 2,400 km round trip.
Exhausted but fulfilled, Mr Monaghan reflected on what the experience meant: "Many people said to me, 'Why don't you just go on a holiday?' But I said, 'No, I'm going to the Sahara Desert to fly the Mayo flag,
"It's given me confidence and pride in my community, and I'm glad I did it," he said. "It was a tough but great decision."
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.