Welcome home for Waterford man and Everest history-making colleagues
'Homecoming of the Historic Irish Everest Mountaineering Team'. Pictured is Irish Everest expedition team members Jason Black ,Eanna McGowan Padraig O Hora and Adam Sweeney at Dublin Airport. Picture Brian McEvoy
There was a very welcome return home this week for Waterford man, Adam Sweeney, who created history by becoming the youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest.
Adam, who is also a crew member with Dunmore East lifeboat, was welcomed home to Dublin Airport alongside his colleagues from the Irish Everest expedition group, Pádraig O'Hora, Éanna McGowan and Jason Black.
They arrived into Dublin Airport following their successful Everest summit, making them the first all-Irish team in more than 20 years to reach the world's highest peak.
The climbers overcame severe weather conditions and a delayed final push before standing atop the summit alongside their Sherpa team.
Adam and his colleagues were welcomed home at Dublin Airport by family and friends.
After a gruelling 47-day expedition in Nepal, the team reached the top of Mount Everest (8,848m) at 1.33am Irish time on Wednesday, May 20.
Their achievement was a landmark moment for Irish mountaineering, with the team demonstrating extraordinary resilience throughout, including a setback just 400 metres from the peak, where frozen ropes forced them to turn back before they launched their successful final ascent.
Team member Pádraig O'Hora, who is a former Mayo senior football star, took on the ultimate endurance challenge to raise funds and awareness for Mayo Mental Health Services.
Éanna McGowan, from Dublin climbed the peak in aid of the ISPCC while the final team member, Jason Black, a Donegal mountaineer and was the expedition leader who directed the logistics and strategy behind the triumphant final push.
