19/10/2026
Two years today my father passed away.
The picture of him in the snow I took on Gollan hill in Fahan a few years before he got sick . I wasn’t to know at the time but this was the last time we walked in the hills together
He introduced me to the mountains around the age off 8. I remember after finishing my Inter Cert (Junior Cert for you young ones here 😊), he brought me to the Urris Hills on the Friday evening after my last exam. We climbed up to the lakes and camped for two nights.
I think from that weekend on, I was hooked. I did crap in the exams, mind you 🙈, but he taught me things you’ll never find in a book.
Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to walk in mountains all around Ireland and further afield, and I’ve seen some stunning places along the way.
But none of them beat that spot on the Urris hills where we first wild camped on the mountain.
I still pass that spot where we camped. Even in the worst of weather, I’ll still give a nod of the head and a smile and push on
I will catch up with you over the last summit
