FORMER MAYO FOOTBALLER Pádraig O’Hora and his team have reached the summit of Mount Everest early this morning, after a 47-day expedition.

They become the first all-Irish team since 2003 to reach the highest point in the world.

The team also included Éanna McGowan from Dublin, and Adam Sweeney from Waterford, along with three Sherpas. Sweeney (22) became the youngest Irish person ever to reach the summit of Everest.

Their team leader, Jason Black from Donegal, had to turn back earlier in the week due to an ankle injury, but he confirmed the team’s achievement in a social media post this morning.

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A post shared by Jason Black | Professional Mountaineer (@jasonblackmountaineering)

Black said “This success belongs to the climbers, their families, our incredible Sherpa team, and everyone who followed and supported this journey”.

The team had to turn back in the early hours of Tuesday morning after adverse weather conditions had frozen over the climbing ropes near the summit.

In an interview with The42 before he left for Nepal in March, O’Hora said ”This is the most selfish thing I’ll ever do”.

O’Hora met Black during filming for RTÉ’s Hell Week, broadcast in 2020. They had discussed O’Hora climbing Everest after he told Black that his footballing career was coming to an end.

O’Hora said that Black had said he would help him put a plan together to reach the summit. 

“Then I think my grá got him going again,” O’Hora said. “He was kind of ‘I’m not going to help you go there, I’m going to bloody go with you’”.

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A post shared by Padraig O’ Hora (@padraigohora_1993)

The team set off from Lukla, located approximately 65 km from Everest base camp, which itself is about 21 km from the summit. 

The team reached the peak at 1.33am Irish time, and became the 67th, 68th, and 69th Irish people to reach the summit of Everest.

O’Hora was climbing in aid of Mayo Mental Health Services, and McGowan was climbing in aid of the ISPCC.