Tyrone father and son conquer Mount Everest

The herculean task of successfully climbing Mount Everest is one that many people will dream about, but only a very select few will ever manage to achieve.

Last week, a Sion Mills father and son team have done just that.

Michéal Brogan and his son, Éoin have just returned home after completing their historic ascent of the world’s highest mountain. Not only that, but they have also become the first Irish father and son to conquer Everest together.

In a journey which lasted two years overall – from the hills of Donegal, to the comradeship of fellow hikers from Mullingar in Westmeath and the mutliple hikes in some of the world’s most iconic mountain ranges – the final leg on May 24 saw them join each other at the summit in a life-affirming, emotional and highly memorable moment for both.

“This has been a lifelong dream for me to climb Mount Everest,” explained Michéal. “Éoin and I have always had that interest in mountain climbing. It’s something which we have always done together. We have climbed in the Alps, completed Mount Blanc and been to Scotland on so many occasions. But ascending Everest has been just brilliant.

“We began planning this in July 2022 when Eoin suggested that we do it together. He told me he always thought that we’d do it together. From that moment, we’ve been preparing for this. We planned our training and set various milestones, including Mount Blanc last year.

“In February of this year we went to Morroco and completed the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains. Our training plans were separate because Eoin lives in London but we constantly engaged in each other’s progress.”

Challenge

What makes the achievement even more remarkable – if that were even possible – is the fact that Éoin has had to contend with the very particular challenge of being a type one diabetic. That has resulted in him pushing his body to new limits, as well as carrying the latest monitoring equipment.

The dynamic duo set out on the final stage of their big adventure on April 7. From there they travelled to base camp at Mount Everest and began planning for the crucial ascent, which Éoin describes as being ‘life-changing.’

But reaching the foothills of the Himalayas and Everest is really only the start. The biggest and most crucial part of the climb has still to come. In fact, the last stages of reaching the top are the most crucial and dangerous, as evidenced by the scarily named ‘death-zone’ not to mention the frozen remains of climbers who didn’t quite reach their goal littered along the routes to the top.

“I had a difficult day getting to Camp Four which is the final camp,” adds Michael. “At that stage I concluded that there was a strong chance of me not making it to the top. The climbing leader spoke to me and we agreed a turnaround point. I embarked on that final stage just hoping to go as high as possible and be satisfied with that.

“As it turned out, the day that we were heading for the summit was a really good one for me and I was fortunate enough to reach the top. Eoin is younger, stronger and fitter than me and I don’t believe he had any similar doubts about getting to the top.”

Eoin, meanwhile, had spent hours upon hours doing repeats of a 100 metre climb at Alexander Palace in London as well as multiple challenges on the exercise climber at the gym near his home in Tottenham. By the time he reached the base camps of Everest, he was ready for the challenge ahead but also well aware of the dangers and pitfalls.

Perspective

“We passed three dead bodies on summit day,” Éoin reflects. “That really put things into perspective for me in terms of emphasising just what a privilege it has been to be embarking on this.

“I’m a type one diabetic and when we agreed to do this climb two years ago the realisation came to me that all of this would only be possible with good management and if you put your mind to it.

“The worrying point for me was at Camp Two when I became ill and was put on oxgyen. Two years ago, Dad had go back at Camp Two, so there was this worry about history repeating itself. There was often that voice saying to turn back, but powering through that is one of the biggest parts of climbing a mountain.”

Imagine, then, seeing that summit beckoning the climber on for those final, few yards. That moment came for Michéal and Éoin on a bright moonlit night. As dawn approached, the two men finally realised their dreams and stepped forward together onto the top of the world.

“I left (for the summit) two and a half hours before Éoin that evening,” added Michéal. “It was planned that we would reach the summit together, rather than him dragging me along. When he got to the summit, we stepped onto the summit together. I was overwhelmed by that moment. It was such a magical night. We had the entire mountain to ourselves. It was a very spiritual and emotional moment. This was a boyhood dream of mine and something which I had been planned for decades.”

For Éoin, too, those final few steps represented a journey together with his father stretching back to his earliest childhood.

“My father always emphaised how the summit is only half-way. My toes were killing me at that point.

“I saw Dad, we had a photo together and then began head down. It was a great moment which still hasn’t sunk in.

“It has been a dream of Dad’s since he was 12. The pride of seeing him reach that goal was truly a fantastic moment.”