'Things can go terribly wrong on the descent' - Padraig O'Hora on the Irish team's Everest climb

A full Irish team reached the summit of Mount Everest after 47 days on the mountain. The climb occurred at 1.33am GMT on May 20, making three Irish climbers the 67th, 68th, and 69th people from Ireland to summit. Emotions were not fully felt until four or five hours after descending from the summit, when the reality of the achievement set in. Excitement at the top was paired with dread because the real danger begins there and problems can still occur before returning home. The climb was undertaken to raise funds for the Mayo Mental Health Association, and one climber returned to Ireland quickly to attend his daughter’s communion.

"[When we reached the top] it was not anticlimactic, but in a sense, I just, I was very conscious of the emotion, and so I didn't really enjoy it in, not until I got down; not until I was able to take a breath and look down. "Once we got back past the queues, maybe four or five hours back down off the summit was when it really hit home, and the emotions started flooding through."

"You're full of excitement when you hit the summit, but there's a touch of dread, because that's where the game starts. "That's where the real danger is. Things can go terribly wrong and until you're home, the job's not done.""

"After 47 days on the mountain, the trio reached the world's highest point at 1.33am GMT on Wednesday, May 20. They became the 67th, 68th and 69th Irish people to do so."

"Mr O'Hora undertook the climb to raise funds for the Mayo Mental Health Association, where he works as a Community Liaison Officer. After the climb he rushed back to Ireland to attend his daughter Mila-Rae's communion. "I think it took 26 hours to get from base camp back for the communion. We took two helicopters and two planes, it was like the A-team.""

Read at Irish Independent