Cork man aims to climb city's Patrick's Hill 65 times in a day

A Cork man is attempting to take on an Everest task by climbing Patrick’s Hill 65 times in one day.

Padraig Carroll of Carrigaline is hoping to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland as part of the charity’s 65 Roses Day Challenge by scaling one of Cork’s steepest hills.

Padraig is set to take on the challenge on Saturday, April 15 where he will walk, jog or crawl the ascent in aid of CFI, and has encouraged others to join him along the way.

The charity has a special place in Mr Carroll's heart following his, and his wife Priscilla’s, first son, Lucas, being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) when he was born in 2021.

“My primary reason for doing this is Lucas. We got the results back from the heel prick test and it said Lucas potentially had cystic fibrosis and without seeming ignorant I didn’t really know what that was. On top of being new parents, we were questioning everything and asking how this could happen,” the Cork father explained. 

Having learned how to best care for their son, the couple were delighted with news that mother, Priscilla, was pregnant again:

“We eventually learned how to deal with the CF with Lucas and then Priscilla got pregnant again, everything was going fine and then unfortunately, everything stopped going fine. Alice was born and then three days later, she passed away. That completely shook our foundation,” Mr Carroll shared.

Their daughter had also faced complications with cystic fibrosis which had led to her gut swelling during pregnancy.

Padraig’s wife, Priscilla explained their heart-breaking experience: “Alice was delivered at 35 weeks and her digestive system inside had died. They didn’t have a solution and we decided to turn off the machines. They told us she would live for hours or days on the machine, but they were certain she would not survive.”

Following their heartbreak, the couple were overwhelmed with support from friends, family and the CF community.

“There is not that many people in Ireland with CF, I think there is only around 1,100 people here with it, which is the highest in Europe per capita, but the community is very supportive and friendly so I wanted to give back to them. Primarily, I wanted Lucas and Alice to be proud of Priscilla and myself.”

Cystic Fibrosis Ireland have asked those taking part in the 65 Roses fundraiser to be creative and try to include 65 in their efforts.

When the Cork man first suggested that he take on this mammoth task, his wife was in disbelief, with Padraig having only climbed Patrick’s Hill a handful of times.

The pair set out to raise €5000, but within a week have easily surpassed their goal, having gathered around €7500 for the charity.

“We got so much support and we decided we needed to give back the support we were given. We want to help Cystic Fibrosis Ireland for their research so that we can find a cure,” Ms Carroll urged.

She continued: “It is not just about the money; we want people to know more about CF. When they see me run away with my baby because someone is coughing, it’s not because I am too protective, it is because for him it is worse than for another child. “

The couple has asked that anyone who is in a position to donate, to do so in memory of their daughter Alice.

To donate see: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/padraig-carroll