Mayo man scales Everest

ON TOP OF THE WORLD The Mayo flag unfurled on Everest's summit for the first time. Keiran Lally is pictured on the right.


Mayo man scales Everest


Kevin Moran
kevinmoran@mayonews.ie

A BALLINTUBBER native has become the first Mayo man to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Kieran Lally (pictured right) reached the summit at about 4am Irish time on Thursday last, raising over €25,500 for the Irish Cancer Society. Mr Lally, who left Ireland eight weeks ago to begin his journey to the world’s highest peak, was part of an exhibition team known as ‘Summit Climb’. The team encourages men and women from around the world, of all ages, to join up in groups to tackle some of the world’s highest mountains.
A close friend of Lally’s, Gerard Lohan, told The Mayo News that the Ballintubber man is in good form, despite being very tired with a little altitude sickness.

Ultimate test
Lally, who currently lives in Dublin and works as a plumber, began training 14 months ago for what many would consider to be the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. During his training he suffered a knee injury that set him back about six weeks, but after a few more runs up the Sugarloaf in Wicklow, he was soon back on track.
He has completed seven other major climbs including Cho You, Tibet (8,201m); Aconcagua, Argentina (9,962m); and Elbrus, Russia (5,642m).
At the moment, Kieran has no further climbs planned. The only item on his agenda this summer is a well-earned rest.