Waterford man becomes youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest alongside Padraig O'Hora
Sarah Slater
A Waterford man has become the youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest - the world’s highest mountain
Adam Sweeney (22) from the seaside town of Dunmore East made the successful attempt overnight on Tuesday,
He reached the summit alongside teammates Padraig O’Hora and Éanna McGowan, as part of Team Ireland.
The group successfully reached the summit with their Sherpas, Pemba, Milan and Sona after several difficult days on the mountain.
The men became the first Irish team to summit Everest since the Ireland-on-Everest expedition in 2019.
He and two other Irish climbers came within 400 metres of reaching the summit on Monday night but were forced to turn back due to dangerously low temperatures.
He has been in the Himalayas since last month and had planned to attempt the climb in late April but an unprecedented ice block further up the mountain impeded the team’s progress.
A message on his Instagram page said: “Team Ireland have done it and Adam is now officially the youngest Irish person to summit Mount Everest at 22-years-old.
“We are so proud! Thank you everyone for all the messages, he’s got lots to catch up on when he is back down safely with the team, they are currently on the way to Camp 4.”
Scores of messages of congratulations were left on the page with one person saying: “ Incredible. What an incredible achievement. Stay safe on the way down. Congratulations all.”
Climbing teams as a result are being advised to exercise “extreme caution” by experts on site. The climbing route opened on April 29.
Sweeney previously said: “We’re all happy now, healthy, fit, and ready to go, which is amazing.”
The Waterford man grew up in the family adventure business, Dunmore Adventure, eventually becoming a watersports instructor.
Adam is also an active crew member of Dunmore East Lifeboat.
Team Ireland is now making its way safely back down to Camp 4 following the climb.
Additional oxygen and food have been brought to Camp 4 to support their recovery.
