‘Climb with Charlie’ a triumph of human spirit

ON TOP OF THE WORLD Charlie Bird acknowledges the support of fellow climbers as he arrives to the summit of Croagh Patrick on Saturday afternoon.  Pic: Conor McKeown


RIGHT throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, a huge amount of worthwhile fundraising was done virtually and online during our lockdowns as people struggled to pass the time and give themselves something valuable to do.
Millions were raised for different charity organisations on The Late Late Show week after week, as technology was utilised and appeals from well-known personalities were met with great generosity from the public.
It was during an interview with Ryan Tubridy back in December that Charlie Bird, the veteran RTÉ broadcaster, announced the he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. From there, he went on to dream up a fundraising campaign that would seek to make a difference for those suffering from the debilitating disease.
‘Climb with Charlie’ went on to create a massive buzz in the three months that led up to the event, culminating in Charlie Bird’s climb of Croagh Patrick last Saturday.
From the outset, Charlie had also announced that the campaign would also fundraise for Pieta, the charity that aims to prevent suicide and self-harm, in acknowledgement of how a lot of people had suffered during the pandemic. Remarkably, over €2 million has now been raise for both charities.
This response from the public all across the country really can only be put down to one thing:  a huge empathy and admiration for the way Charlie Bird himself has faced his challenge head on.
He has hid nothing, and in the process he has inspired young and old to become part of the campaign that ended with such triumphant scenes before, during and after the climb on Saturday last.
Here in west Mayo, we have had an intrinsic involvement with the Climb for Charlie campaign, with Charlie and his wife, Claire, and their dog, Tiger, becoming regulars visitors to the area.
The energy Charlie has been able to summon in the face of adversity has been quite remarkable, undoubtedly leaving a lasting impression on all the young people he met on his visits to schools in the area.
These children see him as a true hero, knowing that he is, in simple terms, very sick, but that he still could make a huge difference to the world despite that.
People from all over the country who could not make it to Croagh Patrick on Saturday undertook their own ‘climbs’. Rarely has an event garnered so much coverage on so many social media channels, showing that despite the downsides so often talked about with social media, it can truly bring people together in a good way.
Charlie told us in The Mayo News last week that he was ‘excited beyond belief’ ahead of the climb of Croagh Patrick. Now his wish to climb the holy mountain is complete, we can say we are ‘proud beyond belief’ of his truly heroic efforts.
The area too can also be proud of how they hosted such a worthwhile and humbling event. A huge amount of locals gave freely of their time to make sure everything went off without any hiccups. There was a palpable sense of relief, and joy, that Charlie and his troop all made it back to Westport safely on Saturday evening.
‘Climb with Charlie’ has left an indelible mark on the people of Mayo, and will be talked about for many years to come.