Families thrilled for summiteers

"We're all delighted!" said Mick Murphy's mother, Peg , who confessed that she wasn't surprised when she heard that her eldest son had made a successful ascent of Everest, along with fellow climber, Ger McDonnell.

"He's been climbing for a long time and he has put in the hours. It would have been very difficult for him if he hadn't made it, as this is his second trip out there," Mrs Murphy said, speaking from the family home in Leap, Co Cork. "This is his life. It is what he does."

The eldest son of Denis and Peg Murphy and one of seven children, Mr Murphy is a teacher of construction studies at the De La Salle-run St Fachtna's College in Skibbereen, Co Cork. He owns an outdoor pursuits centre, Rossagh Mill in Skibbereen. In 1993, he was a member of the first and ultimately successful Irish Everest expedition which resulted in Belfast architect Dawson Stelfox reaching the summit by the North Ridge route on May 27th.

Mr Murphy reached a personal height of just over 27,000 feet or 8,300 metres on that ascent from Tibet, which was hampered by appalling weather. Two years before, in 1991, he had reached the summit of the Himalayan peak, Ama Dablam. He is a keen canoeist and sailor, having paddled around Ireland, and has also competed in international yacht races.

Ger McDonnell (32) is one of five children from a family in Kilcornan, Co Limerick. His mother, Gertie, was described as "thrilled" yesterday. Mr McDonnell works as an automation engineer near Deadhorse, outside Anchorage in Alaska.

He has six years of climbing experience in Alaska, having made many expeditions to the Alaska range. He claims to be the first and only Irishman to play a bodhrán on the summit of Denali and yesterday he took a hurley stick and sliotar with him to the Everest plateau, from where he pucked the sliotar "into history and oblivion" - and hopefully not into the teeth of another climber.

The Cork expedition was one of two expeditions on Everest for the 50th anniversary of the original Hillary/Tenzing summit, while a Kerry woman, Ms Patricia McGuirk, is a member of a multinational commercial expedition on the northern side.

The Cork expedition is led by Mr Pat Falvey (45), a professional adventurer and motivational speaker, who ascended by the North Ridge route in 1995, two years after the first Stelfox Irish ascent.

Also on the Falvey team are Ms Hannah Shields (38), a Derry dentist who made it to just below the South Summit yesterday, Dr Clare O'Leary, who had to descend earlier this week due to illness, and Mr George Shorten, a Cork anaesthetist who was hit by altitude sickness several weeks ago.

The Sherpas working with the expedition are Pemba Rinji Sherpa, the climbing sirdar, Nima Sherpa, Nang Chombi Sherpa and Mingma Chiri Sherpa. They have all made it up the mountain on several occasions and have recently trained in Chamonix, Switzerland.

The confirmation of the ascents was made yesterday from Everest base camp by Mr John Joyce, who spoke to the climbers on radio.