The Fei Sheehy Challenge is firmly established in the Irish hillwalking calendar, with a sell-out and record number of participants. The challenge, a 3-day affair involving crossings of the Comeraghs, Galtees and Knockmealdowns in consecutive days from 11-13 August, hosts the All-Ireland Hillwalking Club Championships.

Funds raised via entry fees and donations will be given to the two nominated charities this year:
Samaritans Ireland and Marfan Syndrome Support Ireland. The Statement of Accounts will be published once all event costs have been settled. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Galtee Walking Club won the club title for the 3rd year in a row, which was warmly welcomed by all participants at the prize giving in Ballyporeen. Mary O’Connell (Ballyhoura Bears) was the popular winner of the Epic Effort Award, who helped an unwell walker off the mountain and then went back out on the mountain to complete her walk.

Josephine O’Brien (Peaks Mountaineering Club) won the Outstanding Achievement Award. Josie is a loyal supporter of the Fei Sheehy Challenge, completing 29 of the 30 days walks since we started 10 years ago. The founder of the event, Ger Sheehy, was also recognised for his efforts to promote challenge hillwalking. What a lovely way to keep Fei Sheehy in our heart and minds.

Every hillwalker who took part has memories to last a long time. For some newcomers to the event, it’s stepping into the unknown of facing steep climbs and long mountain walks for 3 days, when muscles can ache and your backpack gradually feels heavier. For the many familiar faces who return year after year, it’s a chance to catch up with friends on the 4-9 hours spent moving each day.

The weather was favourable this August – good temperatures and although very humid and muggy, a welcome change from the intense heat of summer 2022. Underfoot conditions were wetter, especially on the Comeraghs and the Galtees, after July’s steady rainfall.

This event was organised by the members of Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, with the support and cooperation of local landowners, bus transport, catering and sports clubs, in Clonmel, Anglesborough and Ballyporeen. Thanks to Kinetica for refuelling participants.

If you’d like to try an introductory challenge walk yourself, Na Sléibhte will be hosting their annual guest walk, for self-navigators, in the Galtees on 14th October. Check their social media for details.

Participants
Participants came from all corners of Ireland – the local counties of Munster were well represented, with regulars also making the trip from Antrim, Down, Dublin, Wexford and beyond.

Barrett, Gerard    / Barrett, Niamh      / Barry, Catherine    / Barry, Eric   / Boland, Patrick       / Bowen, Kevin   / Carroll, Lisa   / Caufield, Karol /      Cooney, Fintan /     Curley, Keith    / Denny, Bernard      / Doherty, Sean    /Ecock, Mark    / Freeman, Sean     / Geary, John     / Gleeson, Emily      / Hegarty, Fiona / Horgan, Catherine      / Kelly, Jenny     / Lawless, Irene   / Lonergan Martina      / Lonergan, John      / Lonergan, Sean    / Mahony, Noreen   / McAndrew, Jason      / McCarthy, James     / McVeigh, Gerry    / Moloney, Michael        / Neill, Joan    / Nicholson, Darren  / Nikoforov, Vadim    / O'Brien Alan   / O'Brien Josephine     / O'Brien Thomas    / O'Brien, Brid   / O'Brien, Catherine      / O'Brien, Declan     / O'Brien, Joe    / O'Brien, Tommy     / O'Connell, Mary           / O'Leary Fiona     / O'Connell, Nuala     / O'Reilly, Graham      / Orup, Jury        / Owens, Andy /     Power, Aileen   / Power, David / Ryan, Tom     / Staunton, John      / Vaughan, Ryan     / Vesey, Mark    / Walsh, Caroline        / Walsh, Philip / Whelan, Mark

Event statistics
54 participants from 90 registered.
33 did 3 days (a record) – 11 did 2 days and 9 did 1 day.
Over 90 kilometres covered – that’s over 3,600km walked by everyone, more than the entire coastline of Ireland.

Clubs and walking groups represented
Galtee Walking Club won the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships and also had the largest turn-out. Also represented were Ballyhoura Bears, Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, Peaks Mountaineering Club, Trailblazers Hiking Group, Clonakilty Hillwalking Club, Bears, Limerick Climbing Club, Bishopstown Hillwalking Club, Wayfarers Hiking Club and Blackrock Hillwalking Club.

Photo credits: Karol Caulfield, David Power, Vadim Nikoforov

The event generated €6,242 from donations and registration fees. 

After duducting costs we had €4,692 for distribution. 

€2,346 will be retained for the Mend The Mountain Fund and added to the cumulative €12,856. So, €15,202 will be carried forward.

We remember Melissa Doherty by donating :

€1,173 will go to St. Francis Hospice Dublin & 

€1,173 will go to Dogs Trust

Since we started on this journey we've raised €58,247 for charities, voluntary organisations as well as the recent retentions for future work. 

We do this for others. That's the ethos of the event. Hillwalking For Good.  

Thanks again to everyone who was involved, in any way, with the event.

​Go raibh míle maith agat gach duine.....

This was like nothing that had gone before.

The intensity of the heat added another 30%/40% to the difficulty of each walk, each day. This was ultra 'senior hurling' and yet everyone made their way safely off the mountains each day.

Without exception, everyone walked phenomenally, understood what was required and carried it off in style. It was a masterclass in challenge hillwalking and we hope that when all the walkers go back to their respective clubs/groups that they will share the information on their achievements.

The absolute certaint take-away from the weekend is that the participants are the hillwalkers that are going to develop the activity, by inspiring others through their passion and knowledge.    

These participants aren't 'just hillwalkers', they're athletes that have a professional approach to their activity  - from fitness/endurance, to hydration , to nutrition, to navigation, they tick all the boxes. 

We continue to get a tremendous amount of goodwill from within and beyond the hillwalking community and we greatly appreciate that. Thanks to everyone who donated. We'll do a separate 'Statement of Affairs' post on the financials when the bills have been paid and a line has been drawn under the 2022 event.   

Congratulations to Galtee Walking Club on being crowned All-Ireland Hillwalking Club Champions again in 2022. Is the treble on? 

Well done to Tommy O'Brien on his Epic Effort Award - 2022. It was a very difficult decision to make this year as there were so many exceptional performances. Given the conditions, the same award could have been given to anyoine who went out. We were just in awe of the class on show.      

This was the first year of the event being run under the Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club banner and we look forward to many more years with the input, energy and volunteerism on that basis.
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Participants

Eric Barry, Stas Bernarsinski, Patrick Boland, Karol Caulfield, Anne Coffey, Fintan Cooney, Eric Crowe, Killian D’Arcy, Patrick Dennis, Seán Doherty, Aoife Fitzgerald, Ian Fitzgerald, Sean Freeman, John Geary, Padraig Hackett, Catherine Horgan, Derek Kearney, Ian Kelleher, Jenny Kelly, Seán Lonergan, Jason McAndrew, Gerry McVeigh, Joan Neill, Darren Nicholson, Alan O’Brien, Bríd O’Brien, Josephine O’Brien, Mary O'Brien, Paul O'Brien, Thomas O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien, Mary O’Connell, Mary O'Looney, Graham O'Reilly, Andy Owens, David Power, Michelle Rooney, Noel Ryall, Mark Vesey, Marian Wallis, Cormack Walsh, Justin Walsh, Rowan Walsh.

Thanks to Nuala, Kate & Miriam for helping out, Mary Sheehy for the sponge cakes, Kinetica for the Protein Bars, and Bill and Padraig for offering to help if someone needed to come off. 

Thanks to the land owners and those that allowed us to use their facilities.

Event Statistics

75 Registered

44 Participated

19 did 3 days  
12 did 2 days
13 did 1 day.

8 Participants were new to the event.

Clubs and Walking Groups Represented:

Ballyhoura Bears, Bishopstown Hillwalking Club, Galtee Walking Club, Limerick Climbing Club, Mid-Tipp Hillwalkers, Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, Peaks Mountaineering Club, Trailblazers Hiking Group.


Well done Josephine O'Brien on doing 26 days, of the 27, over the last nine years.      
Photo Credits : Derek K, Cormac & Karol. 

The event generated €6,267 from donations and registration fees. 

After duducting costs for insurance, website, caps etc. we had €5,431 for distribution. 

Registration fees amounted to just over €5,000 so we were able to to pay for the overheads from separate donations 

€2,715.50 will be retained for the Mend The Mountain Fund and added to the cumulative €10,140. So, €12,856 carried forward.

€2,715.50 will go to Native Woodland Trust

Since we started on this journey we've raised €53,555 for charities, voluntary organisations as well as the recent retentions for future work. 

It's a wonderful thing that you all do and you're truly a fantastic group of individuals to walk with, talk to and engage with, year-in year-out.   

Thanks again to everyone who was involved, in any way, with the event.

​Go raibh míle maith agat mo chairde.....

Statement of Affairs - 2020

The event generated €4,949.37 

In line with other years we managed to pay for the overheads from donations outside of registration fees and we're thankful for that support. 

€2,474 of that will be retained for the Mend The Mountain Fund and added to the cumulative €7,666. So, €10,140 carried forward.

€1,237 will go to Mourne Mountain Rescue Team and
€1,237 will go to Irish Wildlife Trust

In a difficult year it was just fantastic to get the challege away and see the joy of participants at having an event to complete. ​

It's a wonderful thing that you all do and you're truly a fantastic group of individuals to walk with, talk to and engage with.   

Thanks again to everyone who was involved, in any way, with the event.

​Go raibh míle maith agat mo chairde.....

It was the quietest lead in to the event ever. Once the tracks and itinerary were sent out on the 29th June, everyone knew what to do. We did our best to do it right within the current restrictions and the challenge hillwalking fiesta went ahead for its seventh consecutive year.

Changing the format to looped walks worked out very well as there was nothing lost in the integrity of the challenge. In fact, the routes made it that bit more difficult but they also provided a change for those that are regulars to the event. Everything was done outdoors, including registration and walkers just mozied off after they had signed in. 

This was just unadulterated challenge hillwalking of the highest standard over the three days. Tough underfoot conditions, limited visibility and a bit of a curve ball thrown each day to mentally and physically challenge participants that little bit more. Any rain that fell during the walks was that lovely warm vertical stuff that you'd welcome on a muggy day. All-in-all a celebration of challenge hillwalking. 

Douglas & St. FinBarre’s Scouts won the All-Ireland Club Challenge trophy. It's important to note here that some of their team had never done a challenge hillwalk before.

I can’t thank you all enough for registering, participating and donating.

Thanks to all those who supported the event, SEMRA, the land owners and those that allowed us to use their facilities.

Participant List

Eric Barry, Patrick Boland, Andrew Breslin, Karol Caulfield, Evan Causer, Fintan Cooney, Daniel Cowhig, Eric Crowe, Killian D’Arcy, Maria De Charmant, Patrick Dennis, Seán Doherty, Eoin Field, Kevin Finn, Aoife Fitzgerald, Ian Fitzgerald, Steven Forde, Sean Freeman, Kealan Gallagher, Padraig Hackett, Patrick Harraghy, Peter Hertting, Ger Hodkinson, Siobhán Hodkinson, Anthony Holmes, Brian Kelly, Jenny Kelly, David Kinnear, Derek Lyons, Conor McCarthy, Damien McCurry, David McDonnell, Gerry McVeigh, Darren Nicholson, Alan O’Brien, Josephine O’Brien, Johnny O’Connell, Mary O’Connell, Conor O’Driscoll, Thomas O’Dwyer, Graham O’Reilly, Andy Owens, David Power, Michael Rea, Noel Ryall, Gerard Sheehy, William Smyth, Mick Stewart, Nick Swanton, Mark Vesey, Cormack Walsh, Philip Walsh, Rowan Walsh.

Sign-In/Sign-Out, Stand-By

Lian, Martha & Pat.

Event Statistics

71 Registered

53 Participated

30 did 3 days  
4 did 2 days
19 did 1 day.

20 Participants were new to the event and 8 of those did 3 days.

Douglas & St. FinBarres Scouts won the Club Challenge trophy with 18 points, from 11 members. They threw the kitchen sink at it and it paid off. 

Clubs and Walking Groups Represented:

Ballyhoura Bears, Bishopstown Hillwalking Club, Bogtrotters, Douglas Scouts, Clonakilty Hillwalking Club, Limerick Climbing Club, Mid-Tipp Hillwalkers, Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, Peaks Mountaineering Club, The Wayfarers Hiking Club, Trailblazers Hiking Group.


Well done Steven Forde on doing every day of the challenge, for the last seven years and I think that Josephine and Gerry have missed just one day of the 21.

​It's not too late to help with a donation. You can do so by clicking 'The Money Part' tab, above.

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“Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.”
​
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The weather was oppressive on Friday but these hillwalkers don't give that dominion over the challenge. They're prepared. On Saturday and Sunday we had ideal hillwalking conditions. 
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Forty five amateur athletes, with a professional approach to hillwalking, participated in the challenge over the three days. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not an athlete. It takes a serious effort in terms of hours -  to get fit enough, learn to navigate, understand the limitations of what you wear/carry: and believe that you can finish. We applaud you all.

Challenge hillwalkers get little recognition for what you do outside of the organizers of these events and your own hillwalking community. Be proud of your achievement. 

What we do is very inclusive and age is no barrier. The age gap between our most junior and senior participant was 38 years. Let that sink in. Some hillwalkers are just remarkable.

Peaks Mountaineering Club won the All-Ireland Club Challenge trophy. In doing so, they halted the three in-a-row for The Wayfarers Hiking Club. 

I can’t thank you all enough for registering, participating and donating.

We are very grateful to those who sponsored food, prizes for the draw and offered financial and logistical support with venus etc.

And, it just wouldn’t work without the ladies and their support.

Participant List

Ger Barrett, Paul Carroll, Karol Caulfield, Siobhán Connolly, Fintan Cooney, John Costigan, Killian D’Arcy, Patrick Dennis, Seán Doherty, Kevin Finn, Ian Fitzgerald, Steven Forde, Sean Freeman, Darren Frehill, Padraig Hackett, Peter Hertting, Miriam Joyce, Brian Kelly, Jenny Kelly, Derek Lyons, David McDonnell, Gerry McVeigh, Alan O’Brien, Josephine O’Brien, Liam O’Brien, Ronan O’Byrne, Johnny O’Connell, Mary O’Connell, Kevin O’Donnell, Thomas O’Dwyer, Graham O’Reilly, Seán O’Riordan, Ulla O’Riordan, David Power, Marian Power, Michael Rea, Gerard Sheehy, William Smyth, Hazel Stapleton, Mick Stewart, Cian Swanton, Mark Vesey, Marian Wallis, Cormack Walsh, Kevin Walsh.

Sign-In/Sign-Out, Stand-By and Catering

Margo, Martha, Nuala, Eimear, Kate.

Event Statistics

72 Registered

45 Participated
19 did 3 days 
11 did 2 days
15 did 1 day.

15 Participants were new to the event

Peaks Mountaineering Club won the trophy with 21 points, from 11 members. The cumulative points are on the upward trajectory each year.

Clubs and Walking Groups Represented:

Ballyhoura Bears, Bishopstown Hillwalking Club, Bogtrotters, Douglas Scouts, Limerick Climbing Club, Na Sléibhte Hillwalking Club, Peaks Mountaineering Club, The Wayfarers Hiking Club, Trailblazers Hiking Group.


Well done Steven Forde on doing every day of the challenge, for the last six years.

​It's not too late to help with a donation. You can do so by clicking 'The Money Part' tab, above.