Athlone man flies Irish flag on North America’s highest peak

An Athlone man who has conquered six of the seven tallest mountain peaks in the world says he “whips out the Irish flag” and stands in awe at the “breathtaking power of nature” when he reaches the summit of a mountain range.

“Whether you climb Carrauntoohil in Kerry or Kilimanjaro, there is still that amazing feeling of achievement at having made it to the top,” says Diarmuid Morrissey, who has just returned from a climbing expedition to Alaska during which he reached the summit of North America's tallest mountain, Denali (also known as Mount McKinley).

The Denali climb was part of Diarmuid's attempt to complete what is known as the Seven Summits challenge. The Seven Summits is the name given to the seven highest mountains on all seven continents. So far, he has managed to complete six of the seven, with the most difficult mountain of all, Everest, still on the 'to do' list.

The avid climber has already been to Everest on three separate occasions, the first time in 2016 when he trekked to the Everest base camp, then in 2021 when the trip had to be abandoned due to the Covid pandemic, and again the following year when he got sick at Camp 2 and had to return home.

Everest was actually the first of the Seven Summits on the bucket list for the former Athlone businessman in 2016, when he was still working at the coalface in the demanding healthcare services sector with his own company, Direct Medical, in Monksland.

He can still recall the point on the Everest trek when his mobile phone signal stopped working and said it was “pure bliss” after the 24/7 demands of running his own business and the non-stop phonecalls.

“It is just you and the power of nature out there and it is a very humbling experience,” he says.

Diarmuid sold Direct Medical to the Sol healthcare group in 2017, which gave him the opportunity to continue pursuing his love of high-altitude mountaineering. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (which he has done four times) was the start of his Seven Summits challenge, and he has not ruled out tackling Everest at some point in the future, stating that it is “the pinnacle” for every climber.

His most recent climb to the summit of Denali in Alaska, which is 6,190 metres (20,310 feet) above sea level, took 19 days and the challenge was so tough that it resulted in Diarmuid losing 10% of his body weight.

It was his second attempt at reaching the summit, after a trip in 2023 had to be aborted when the group of climbers got stuck in Camp 2 for seven days due to adverse weather conditions.

“Denali is notoriously weather-prone, and it is only when you get above Camp 3 and past an area known as 'windy corner' that you can relax a bit as you are gone above the precipative weather patterns,” he says.

The eldest of Patrick J and the late Gráinne Morrissey's family of five from Whitebeam Avenue in Clonbrusk, Diarmuid Morrissey studied Polymer Engineering in the former Regional Technical College in Athlone (now TUS) after receiving his early education in the Marist Brothers national and secondary schools.

As well as establishing Direct Medical, he has always been heavily involved with Buccaneers RFC, serving as the club's long-time secretary and also as a trustee.

Of the many mountains he has climbed since 2016, the Athlone father of three adult sons, and 11-year old, Óisin, says the most awe-inspiring was the Vinson Massif, which is the highest mountain on the continent of Antartica and is located about 750 miles from the South Pole.

“The sheer vastness of the place, and the pristine wilderness that you are looking at from the summit is just something to behold,” he says, “as well as the realisation that a third of the mountain range across Antartica has never actually seen a human footprint.”

Diarmuid knows how lucky he is to have the chance to experience so many jaw-dropping moments in his life, and never takes it for granted.

“To see these places first-hand is very hard to describe,” he admits. “The complete isolation you experience and the spectacular scenery, it gives you a great sense of respect for the natural environment.”

Now dividing his time between his native Athlone and his home in Portugal, Diarmuid Morrissey says he does a lot of cardiovascular training in preparation for his mountaineering expeditions, but adds that it is “very difficult” to do high altitude training.

“I do a lot of running, which I absolutely detest, but needs must,” he admits. “The secret to coping with altitude is to climb slowly and try not to over exert yourself.”

Despite this, he says it is very hard to avoid some form of mountain sickness, with headaches being the most common complaint.

He is acutely aware of the need to respect nature and to realise the fragility of life when undertaking mountain climbing.

“We taunt Mother Nature at our peril,” he says. “The mountains are not there to be challenged, they were there before mankind and they will be there after we are gone, so we have to be very respectful of nature and realise that we stand in a place of privilege when we are on a mountain range, no matter where it is.”

He does not view mountain climbing as being extreme, but instead regards it as being “quite therapeutic” and “a great escape” from the day-to-day life experience.

As regards another tilt at climbing Everest? “It is a long climb of nearly six miles to the top, with four weeks at base camp to acclimatise, but never say never,” he says.