Man (80) becomes oldest Irish person to climb Kilimanjaro

A grandfather of seven has reached new heights to become the oldest Irish person to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kevin Gormley (80), from Stillorgan, joined an elite group of mountain climbers in a seven day trek to reach the summit on Friday, June 26th.

Currently, the record for the oldest man and oldest woman to climb Kilimanjaro is held by couple, Martin Kafer (85,) and Esther Kafer (84), from Vancouver, who reached the summit in September 2012.

Mr Gormley said he celebrates every big birthday with a similar accomplishment.

He completed the Dublin, London and New York marathons on his 50th, 60th and 70th birthdays respectively.

“It’s always something I wanted to do. I didn’t really have any mountaineering experience before this apart from climbing Carrauntoohil and a few other small mountains. I would walk from the city centre out to Stillorgan a good bit but that’s the height of it,” he said.

“I knew my body was fit but I wasn’t sure how fit it was.”

He made the trip to the peak with a party of 14 including Pat Falvey, one of Ireland’s most experienced mountaineers, and his two sons, Fergal (45) and Cathal (48).

The youngest person on the hike was 19-years-old.

Mr Gormley, originally from Co Monaghan, said he did it because he wanted to prove that you shouldn’t be confined by your age.

“I wanted to show people that they shouldn’t be restricted by their age. I was the first one from the group to reach the summit. If I can do it, anybody can. All it takes is a bit of regular exercise to get the blood flowing,” he said.

Mr Falvey said the willpower and determination of Mr Gormley is inspirational.

“His determination and will to live is incredible. It was like nothing would stop him from reaching the top. To climb it at his age is absolutely incredible,” he said.

Mr Falvey is one of Ireland’s most experienced mountain climbers and led the first Irish expedition to reach the South Pole in January 2008.

But Mr Gormley admits it wasn’t easy and at times he felt like giving up.

“The altitude, it affects your body and your mind. There were times when I felt like I couldn’t go on. The closer we got to the top, the more difficult it was to breath,” he said.

“I collapsed twice, it was that difficult. I couldn’t talk at times,” he said.

Mr Gormley said the group’s guide, a local man named Abel, was a source of motivation for him throughout the hike.

“Abel gave me a massage the first time I collapsed, well that’s putting it loosely. He was thumping me in the back to get my blood pumping again. But he was always good at motivating me and the group,” he said.

Mr Gormley said that the toughest part of the ascent was the final hour before the summit, but reaching it was worth every bit of hardship they endured.

“We got to the summit just as the sun was rising. It was such a euphoric feeling. We could see for miles and miles around. The adrenaline was pumping and we forgot about our tiredness,” he said.

His wife, Blána (79), greeted him with a hero’s welcome, along with his daughter and some of his grandchildren, when the plane touched down in Dublin airport on Tuesday.

“I want it to be an inspiration to my seven grandchildren. I want them to see that there’s more than drink when getting your kicks out of life,” he said.

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania.

It is the highest mountain in Africa scaling 19,341 feet above sea level.