Former Mayo footballer to tackle Everest for mental health awareness
Former Mayo inter-county footballer and father of three, Pádraig O’Hora, is set to trade Hastings Insurance MacHale Park for the world’s highest peak as he departs for Mount Everest on March 30.
The expedition is a dedicated fundraising and awareness campaign for the Mayo Mental Health Association, aiming to prove that even the most daunting personal mountains can be climbed.
For Pádraig, the 8,848-metre ascent is more than a mountaineering milestone; it is a 'living metaphor' for the silent daily battles millions face with mental health.
The campaign seeks to demonstrate that resilience, adaptation and self-belief are the tools required to survive both the thin air of a vertical climb and the challenges of mental health.
“This expedition is about showing people that even when the air feels thin and the road feels vertical, you can keep moving. You can survive the pain. You can endure the misery. And your day will come,” said O’Hora.
While many in the sporting community know him through the lens of Gaelic football, this journey marks the reclamation of a childhood dream for O’Hora – a dream that was deferred as life and sports responsibilities took precedence.
By stepping out of the GAA lane and into the Himalayas, he now hopes to show his three children, and the wider public, that we are not defined by a single chapter.
Pádraig has spent the past 18 months scaling a number of mountains in Ireland and further afield in preparation for the biggest climb of his life.
At home, he has spent many dark, wet days on Croagh Patrick, Nephin and Mweelrea in his native Mayo, the Wicklow Mountains, the Mourne Mountain Range in Co. Down, and the Darty Mountain Range in Co. Sligo, and will climb Carrauntoohil in Co. Kerry before he sets off for Everest in a few weeks.
Pádraig and his team have also travelled to Argentina to climb Aconcagua in the Andes (the highest peak outside the Himalayas) and scaled Gran Paradiso and Mont Blanc in the Alps last July.
Funds raised throughout the journey will have a direct impact locally, helping support the Mayo Mental Health Association in providing local education and support services.
Preparation for the climb has been 'a lifetime in the making', according to the Ballina man. However, the past 18 months have been all-consuming. Training has far surpassed even the demands of inter-county football, expanding far beyond physical conditioning. His preparation has included: psychological resilience training; high-level strength and endurance conditioning; breathwork and altitude adaptation; advanced mountaineering skills; a complete nutrition strategy; and medical and safety preparedness.
To support Pádraig O’Hora’s Everest expedition, see https://www.idonate.ie/crowdfunder/everest2026.