Glimpses along the Way
Glimpses along the Way is the story of a father's journey along the Camino de Santiago.
The ancient 800-kilometre pilgrimage route goes from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France, across the Pyrenees, through the vineyards of Navarre and La Rioja, across the vast plains of the Meseta, through the medieval cities of Burgos and León, over the mountains of Galicia, and finally to the magnificent Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
But this is no ordinary Camino story.
Belfast father Martin Hanna walked the Camino Francés not in one go, but across multiple trips over two extraordinary years, fitting the ancient pilgrimage around the demands of work, school and family life.
His walking companion for most of those steps was his then twelve-year-old son Conor, who proved to be not just a walking partner but a true pilgrim, and quite simply the best company his father could have wished for.
Along the way, Martin was joined for various stages by his wife and other sons, each bringing their own personality, Belfast humour, and spirit to the ancient path. There are glimpses of everything—fascinating medieval folklore, breathtaking landscapes, past Camino adventures, stories of a Belfast family growing up, fellow pilgrims from every corner of the world and tender tributes to those who walked alongside them in spirit.
There are stories that will make you laugh out loud. Stories that will stop you in your tracks. And a father-son story at the heart of it all that will stay with you long after the final page.
Above all, this is a book about time. The precious, irreplaceable, uninterrupted time that a father and son spent walking side by side across the north of Spain—and why that time was everything.
About Martin
Martin Hanna is a Belfast solicitor who first walked the Camino de Santiago in 1999 as part of a Multiple Sclerosis Ireland group walk.
He subsequently walked the final 100 kilometres of the Camino in 2012 and completed the entire Camino Francés between 2021 and 2023 with his son Conor and other family members.
Born and raised in Belfast, Martin studied law and has practised as a solicitor in Northern Ireland since 1997. He has a lifelong connection with Spain dating back to his teenage years, when he spent summers working as a monitor in a summer school in Asturias, teaching English to Spanish children.
He speaks Spanish and has travelled extensively throughout Spain. Glimpses along the Way is his first book. It draws on his personal journals, photographs and memories from nine separate Camino trips over two years, as well as his broader experience of Spain and the Camino stretching back over two decades.
Martin lives in Belfast with his wife Tara and their five children — Garrett, Conor, Donal, Diarmuid and Francesca Azofra.