Fergal climbs every hill and mountain in Ireland

A Westmeath man reached the finishing point of a mammoth personal challenge at the weekend, when he became the first person to climb every hill and mountain on mainland Ireland.

Mullingar resident Fergal Hingerty set out to complete this mission several years ago and despite some delays caused by the pandemic he reached his goal by scaling the last of the 1,488 peaks he has set out to climb on the island.

The 374-metre Brickany Hill, on the Dingle peninsula in Kerry, was the final hurdle to be cleared last weekend, and it means Fergal has now scaled every hill and mountain above 300 metres, with 100 metre prominence, as defined by Mountainviews.ie on the mainland of Ireland.

What would be a remarkable achievement by any individual is made all the more so by the fact that Fergal completed it after undergoing surgery a decade ago on a serious back injury.

Following his eventual recovery he took up hillwalking, which developed into a major hobby that has taken him to all corners of the country and many parts of Europe.

Ballykeeran pub The Dog and Duck was one of his sponsors when he climbed Europe's highest mountain, Mount Elbrus, in 2018.

At that stage the goal of climbing every peak in Ireland was already in his sights. By early 2020 he had completed all of the hills in Connacht, Ulster and Leinster, but still had more to do in Munster.

Just before the pandemic arrived, the Irish Hill Walkers Association made a presentation to him for climbing over 1,000 of Ireland's peaks. The clampdown on travel during the various lockdowns slowed his progress, but he continued to add to his climbing tally whenever the public health situation allowed.

"I probably would have finished (every hill and mountain) sometime around June 2020, so it ended being put back by about a year, basically," he said.

"I'm not complaining - it is what it is - and I did my walking around the town (to keep fit)."

He also has been spending spare time during the lockdowns writing articles about the hills and mountains he has climbed for a few different magazines and websites.

Having now achieved his longstanding goal of completing every peak on the Irish mainland, Fergal already has his sights set on the next challenge. If the Covid situation permits, he hopes to tackle Mount Ararat in September.

"That one is 5,137 metres, so technically it would be my fourth 'ultra' peak. So things have come a long way in the ten years since my back operation," he said.

Mount Ararat is located in Eastern Turkey, near the border with Armenia.

"I've actually seen it, from Armenia. You're there in the capital of Armenia in September, it's 42 degrees, and you're looking across at this mountain 70 miles away which is covered in snow. It's some sight," explained Fergal.

"In any Armenian restaurant, anywhere in the world, that is their national symbol. Just like ours is the shamrock, theirs is Mount Ararat."