A Fiennes day to explore Dublin culture

Regular readers might recall that, in April, we reported on the "mid-life crisis" fitness exertions of Investec Corporate Finance director Conor McCarthy.

While the rest of us were gorging on Easter eggs, McCarthy headed for the scorching Moroccan Sahara to compete in the Marathon des Sables, the equivalent of six marathons in six days billed as the world’s toughest footrace.

As McCarthy was trundling across the sand dunes, he bumped into none other than Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the explorer and all-round adventurer. Fiennes, who once hacksawed off his own fingertips after getting frostbite, became the oldest Briton to compete in the event, aged 71. McCarthy asked Fiennes if he would come over to Dublin to give a talk to Investec's staff and clients, and yesterday the explorer duly obliged.

A crowd of about 150 assembled in the Clyde Court Hotel in Dublin to be regaled with his tales of trudging through the Antarctic and climbing the north face of the Eiger. Fiennes spoke about the importance of hiring the best people for your team: "you can fire someone while you're in the middle of an ice-cap but you're still stuck with them until the end of the expedition". A bit like the civil service.

McCarthy paid tribute to Fiennes cumulative charity fund-raising record of £17 million. Investec should sign him up. Another couple of mountain jaunts, and he’d raised enough cash to fund a deal.