A Bansha first…and…and…

When Sarah O’Neill reached the summit of Mt.Kilimanjaro, Tanzania on 29th August 2011, she became the youngest girl from Bansha to do so, the youngest girl from Ireland to do so’ but glory of glories at eleven years of age,  she became the youngest girl in the world to reach this unbelieveable goal.  Having heard a talk in February of that year on the subject matter, Sarah and her mother Sinead  decided they would have a go and immediately commenced a very tough training schedule.

    Sarah, though involved in the usual National School activities, had never done any mountain climbing.  All that had to change and the Spring and Summer months saw Sarah on the Galtees, the Commeraghs, Carrauntoohill and many others including Slievenamon in the dark to prepare her for the night ascent at Kilimanjaro.  A very fit mother and daughter team commenced the climb on the 25th August.

The Mount of Kilimanjaro consists of three extinct volcanoes, one of which is Mount Kibo.  The highest summit on Kebo’s crater rim is Uhuru Peak, it is the highest point in Africa and five days later, behold, Sinead and Sarah O’Neill from Bansha standing on the Peak and proudly waving the Tipperary flag.

To put their achievement into context, Uhuru Peak is 19,341 ft. high, almost six and a half times the height of Galteemore. In addition, a recent survey undertaken by the Kilimanjaro National Park, showed that only 30 per cent of trekkers reach the summit of Uhuru, but our brave, couragaous Sarah from the sixth class in Bansha’s National School made it.  We salute her and her mother Sinead.  The memory of their achievement will long live in Bansha and far beyond.

Michael Lynch 2011