Tipperary man jets off to complete marathon task of climbing world's seven highest summits

Shannon Airport recently welcomed inspirational mountain climbing enthusiast Andy Nolan, as he embarked on a trip of a lifetime to climb Mount Kosciuszko, mainland Australia’s tallest mountain.

Andy, who lives in Newport, is attempting to become a member of an elite global club that has completed The Seven Summits, which involves successfully climbing the highest peaks in all seven continents.

Andy’s journey to Australia started from Shannon Airport, to transit via London Heathrow and Hong Kong for the climb, which he is doing to raise awareness and vital funds for the Laura Lynn Hospice, a charity which provides palliative care and support for children with life-limiting conditions.

Mount Kosciuszko will be Andy’s fifth of the seven peaks, having already successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa (5,895m); Mount Elbrus on the Europe and Russian border (5,642m); Mount Aconcagua in South America (6,961m) and most recently, Mount Denali, Alaska, in May 2023 (6,194m).

Although Kosciusko is considered the easiest of the seven summits at 2,228m, this peak will present different challenges for Andy, who broke both his right ankle and leg last June, and only a couple of months ago, had to learn how to walk again after several surgeries.

After Mount Kosciuszko, Andy will set his sights on completing the final two summits, Mount Vinson in Antarctica (4,892m) and Mount Everest in Nepal (8,848m).

Around 400-500 people have completed the challenge worldwide, with only 13 of these hailing from Ireland.

Originally from Charleville in county. Cork, Andy has called Newport his home for over 20years.

A manufacturing quality engineer and UL lecturer by profession, he is somewhat of a newbie to mountain climbing having only taken up the sport in recent years.

Initially, it was for fitness, but as he progressed through successfully summiting the first four peaks, the mental benefits and positive mindset shift far outweighed the physical merits, with Andy noting that he has always been spurred on by a desire to succeed in honour of the people served by the charities he fundraises for. He believes that while this is a personal challenge, it is important that his expeditions can give back to the community.

Andy said: “It always puts a smile on my face if I can start any of these trips from Shannon Airport – hassle free, quick and friendly every time!

"My philosophy on life the last number of years is to try and keep challenging myself in all aspects of life. If you succeed, then you succeed. If you fail, then you fail, but you will learn from the positive and the negative.

"Within every challenge lies the opportunity to try and improve your own physical and mental resilience and it is also very important to me that I can give back to my community, raising vital funds for charity during these expeditions."

Commenting, Niall Kearns, Airport Director, said: “We were delighted to welcome Andy to Shannon Airport. The airport has long been a gateway to adventure, and it was an honour to send Andy off on what is yet another trip of a lifetime for him and indeed, a most worthwhile charitable cause.

Andy’s mountaineering journey so far is a remarkable feat, and on behalf of all the team, I would like to wish him the very best of luck with his latest summit of Mount Kosciuszko, and his overall quest to complete The Seven Summits.”

You can follow Andy’s ‘Seven Summits’ journey here:   https://www.instagram.com/ andy.nolann/