Donegal businessman Martin Hilferty is securely back on level ground after conquering a charity challenge on Christmas Day.
Martin, the founder of Orbit Security Systems, successfully climbed Donegal’s two highest mountains on Christmas Day in aid of four vital causes – White Oaks Addiction Treatment Centre, Pieta North West, Saint Vincent De Paul and the North West Simon Community. (Visit the GoFundMe donation page here: https://gofund.me/013df0a4)
Setting off in the darkness at 6am, Martin braved the cold, cloudy and icy conditions to climb both Errigal Mountain and Muckish in one go.
After seven hours of hiking… his Christmas dinner never tasted so good!
Looking back on the day, Martin said the challenge was most importantly about highlighting mental health and addiction services available locally.
He said: “It is very important that we raise awareness for the people with addiction, those struggling with mental health issues and especially the homeless. They all need our support, especially now in the cold winters and the difficult Covid -19 times.
“I would like to let them know that we are in this together and there are people out there who love them and care for them. I would like to ask them to make the phone call and get help. Don’t give up and always remember that there ain’t no mountain high, ain’t no mountain low enough that you cannot bounce back from.”
Martin benefited from great support before, during and after his Christmas adventure. He has issued a huge thank you to his mother, siblings, children and grandchildren for supporting his climbs and thanked every person who donated, liked and shared his campaign.
“I have a lot of special friends who were very helpful and supportive. Now I’m looking forward to doing it again next year – maybe after Christmas if we can open it up to having people join in,” he said.
The Martin Hilferty Charity Event GoFundMe page remains open until New Year’s Day, if you would like to donate, please visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/climbing-muckish-errigal-mountain