Late Sylvester Hiemstra to be honoured with Milford Walkway name
Motion passed for Milford Athletic Club sportsman at Letterkenny Milford Municipal District
A walkway in Milford is to be officially named The Sylvester Hiemstra Way in honour of the much-loved local sportsman and community figure.
The proposal was passed at Tuesday’s Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District meeting following a motion by Cllr Declan Meehan.
Donegal County Council said arrangements will now be made to provide nameplate signage at the walkway.
The route links the Kilmacrennan Road to Moyle View Park and has already been unofficially dubbed the “Sylvester shortcut” by some locals.
Sylvester Hiemstra, a beloved husband and father of two, passed away from cancer in 2023 at the age of 54.
Originally from the Netherlands, Mr Hiemstra became a much-loved figure in Milford after making his home in the area with his wife Lisa Gallagher.
He first came to Downings in August 1997 through his love of fishing, particularly shark fishing, and fate led him to form a lasting connection with Donegal.
He met Lisa through her father, the late Colm Gallagher, who was skipper of the boat he had chartered during that first trip. That visit became the starting point of a new life.
Sylvester and Lisa married in 2000, first settling in Ramelton before relocating to Milford, where they raised their two children, Meabh and Eoghan.
Sylvester first became involved with Milford Athletic Club in 2011 and went on to become one of its most active and encouraging members.
Starting out with Couch to 5K, he progressed to run two back-to-back Dublin marathons in 2012 and 2013.
Cllr Meehan previously said Sylvester had long hoped for a walkway linking the Kilmacrennan Road to the pitches and running track around Moyle View Park.
“He was such a great club man for Milford Athletic Club, a great community man here locally in Milford, and was always very encouraging to new members in the athletic club and people who had recently or newly taken up running,” Cllr Meehan said.
“When he was training for his marathons and, generally, when he was out with the athletic club, he would be running on the Kilmacrennan Road in Milford, coming back into Milford, and he would constantly be commenting to other members of the club why there was no access from the Kilmacrennan Road over to the pitches and the running track around Moyle View Park.
“He would have, years ago, made lots of inquiries to the council and various councillors on that, but there was never any progress made until 2024, when it actually became a reality.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see that, because he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in June 2020 and passed away in January 2023 at the age of 54.
“So when the pathway was finished in 2024, many people, particularly from the athletic club, remarked that it was a pity Sylvester didn’t live to see that, and some were even unofficially calling it the Sylvester shortcut.”
Milford AC now hosts the Sylvester Hiemstra 3km Handicap in honour of their dearly missed friend each December.
The club also presents the Sylvester Hiemstra Spirit of Endurance Award to outstanding participants of its Couch to 5K programme.
Cllr Meehan was approached by Milford Athletic Club to inquire with the council about officially naming the path in honour of Mr Hiemstra.
The tribute was also backed by Milford GAA and Milford United, who are based at Moyle View Park.