Irish Adventurers Reach South Pole

By Dermot Kavanagh

Irish adventurers, Pat Falvey, Clare O'Leary and colleagues have become the first Irish team to reach the South Pole. The group finally made it to the Amunsden-Scott Pole Research Station at 7.28 Irish time last Tuesday after their 1,100km trek across Antarctica, which took them 58 days.

Clare O'Leary, who is a doctor based in Tipperary is from Bandon, Co. Cork, became the first Irish woman to reach the southern tip of the earth's axis. She is already the first Irish woman to climb Mount Everest and also the first to complete the Seven Summit Challenge, climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents.

Pat Falvey also from Cork has already led 59 high adventure expeditions worldwide and is the only person to have completed the Seven Summit Challenge twice, including Mount Everest from both its traditional routes on the North and South sides.

The other members of the expedition, which was called Beyond Endurance, are Dubliner Shaun Menzies and London-born Jonathan Bradshaw.

However neither Falvey, O'Leary or Menzies are the first Irish people to reach the South Pole. That distinction lies with Kerry man Mike Barry, who in 2004 was part of an international expedition which successfully reached the Pole.

Other Irish explorers who ventured into Antarctica without reaching the South Pole include such famous names as Ernest Shacketon from Ballytore County Kildare and Annascaul's Tom Crean.