Athlone man's book charts a decade of mountaineering

By Rebekah O'Reilly

For almost a decade, Athlone man Diarmuid Morrissey has been on a quest to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on the seven continents.

Diarmuid's new book, 'The Top Is Only Halfway: An Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Adventure', shares the story of the adventures, places, and people he encountered along the way.

"I’ve climbed the highest mountains on six of the seven continents, all bar Asia," Diarmuid told the Westmeath Independent earlier this year, adding that he was "fortunate" to have the opportunity to attempt them all.

It was a bittersweet occasion when Diarmuid made the difficult decision to turn back on Mount Everest during his third attempt to reach the summit.

"My partner told me, 'You rolled the dice'. I said, 'I rolled the dice twice'," Diarmuid added.

"I rolled it a third time. I came home, but this year five other people didn’t come home."

Diarmuid said the book includes stories about his adventures over the last decade, which have brought him all across the globe.

"The book is about my adventures on mountains over the last ten years. I first went to Everest base camp in 2016.

"At that time I’d never heard of the Seven Summits. I had no clue what they were, or what they entailed. I was going to base camp on a bucket-list trip with a friend of mine.

"Ten years on, I’ve been to all seven. I’ve had the privilege of attempting all seven, and I’ve been successful on six. I’ve climbed a few of them more than once. I’ve had a fantastic journey. It’s been an incredible ten years."

'The Top Is Only Halfway: An Ordinary Life, Extraordinary Adventure' by Diarmuid Morrissey is s out now and can be purchased on Amazon.ie for €24.99.