Family of late Mayo schoolteacher raise €125,000 for charity in ‘5-peaks challenge'
A group of friends, relatives, and teammates of much-loved Mayo teacher James McNeive have raised over €125,000 for charity in his memory after a mammoth test of human endurance.
The '5-Peak Challenge' saw a core group of 30 people climb five of the highest peaks in Ireland and UK to raise money for various causes.
East Mayo was plunged into mourning last August when James died tragically in a road accident while travelling home from Donegal after visiting his girlfriend, Catherine Carr. He was just 28 years old.
Ms Carr was among approximately 500 people who climbed the final peak of Croagh Patrick on Saturday.
The challenge began with Ben Nevis in Scotland (1,345m), on Tuesday, June 24, on what would have been James's 29th birthday.
On Wednesday, they climbed Scafell Pike (978m) in northern England before braving atrocious conditions to scale Snowdon in Wales (1,085m) on Thursday.
On Friday, they were back in Ireland to climb the country's highest peak, Carrauntoohil, in Co Kerry (1,038 metres).
The challenge concluded on Saturday afternoon at Croagh Patrick, the smallest of the five peaks, standing at 764 metres.
Fr Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest of Knock, who knew James McNeive personally, said a prayer at the top of the mountain after the group of climbers arrived shortly after 12.30pm.
James's cousin, Ross Egan, felt 'a lot of emotion' and 'a sense of accomplishment' after reaching the top of Croagh Patrick.
'There is only one man that everybody would do this for, and that is James,' he told the Irish Independent.
'We didn't envisage this at all. Not in our wildest dreams,' said Enda Sweeney, another cousin of James McNeive.
'We started off with a healthy target of €50,000.
'The last four weeks it has just climbed dramatically in front of our very eyes.
'It is a testament to James.
'It's great to see 500 people here supporting the family, supporting us, and hopefully doing it for James. We're absolutely buzzing. It's great to see.'
Mr Sweeney paid tribute to 'an absolute army of a team' who helped organise the 5-Peak Challenge.
'There is a whole army of people behind the scenes, that you never see on any of these media reports, that have helped us out drastically.
'It's just a whole community coming together, for us, for James.'
For Ross Egan, the enduring memory of the climb will be the stories they shared of James in between the five climbs.
Each participant undertook the challenge at their own expense to maximise the funds raised for charity.
'We were telling our stories, we were chatting about James, we were [creating] a positive memory...how he would have loved to be here. That's how I'll remember the 5 Peaks,' said Mr Egan.
James's brother, Matthew, undertook three of the climbs despite living with kidney failure which required dialysis twice during the five-day period.
Some of the funds raised will go to the Irish Kidney Association, a charity important to James and the McNeive family.
'James had this rare ability to light up any room and lift the people around him, whether you were a friend, a student or a stranger,' Matthew said.
'He had a deep love for his school communities and his local GAA club.
'That's why the charities we have chosen reflect his passions - teaching, mental health, sport, a children's charity, and of course the Irish Kidney Association, because he never liked to see me struggle.
'He always wanted to do something to help and supported organ donation.'
Members of Aghamore GAA and Tooreen GAA clubs were among the 500 climbers on Saturday afternoon.
Among them were Mayo footballer Fergal Boland, former All-Star defender Brendan Harrison, Mayo TD Paul Lawless – all former teammates of James McNeive, and former Mayo ladies football team captain Sarah Tierney, and celebrity architect Dermot Bannon.
The climb was particularly poignant for Mr Bannon as James taught his son while he was based in Dublin.
'We were just devastated when we found out James passed away. It was a huge shock to the school community.
'He was a great teacher, and the kids all loved him, so he was a huge part of their lives.
'For any family to lose somebody so young is really hard. It is unimaginable.
'All of this helps them get through it. It does not make it any better, it doesn't solve anything but it just helps them get through. So it's nice to just be on the journey today.'
A climb of a Mount Maroon near Brisbane in Australia by Irish people living in the area took place last week in solidarity with the 5-Peak Challenge.
To date, the 5-Peak Challenge has raised over €125,000 for the following causes: Make-A-Wish Ireland, Daisy Lodge, Irish Kidney Association, Mayo MindSpace, Irish Heart Foundation, and various schools and GAA clubs close to James' heart.
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Today at 13:23 A group of friends, relatives, and teammates of much-loved Mayo teacher James McNeive have raised over €125,000 for charity in his memory after a mammoth test of human endurance. The '5-Peak Challenge' saw a core group of 30 people climb five of the highest peaks in Ireland and UK to raise money for various causes. East Mayo was plunged into mourning last August when James died tragically in a road accident while travelling home from Donegal after visiting his girlfriend, Catherine Carr. He was just 28 years old. Ms Carr was among approximately 500 people who climbed the final peak of Croagh Patrick on Saturday. The challenge began with Ben Nevis in Scotland (1,345m), on Tuesday, June 24, on what would have been James's 29th birthday. On Wednesday, they climbed Scafell Pike (978m) in northern England before braving atrocious conditions to scale Snowdon in Wales (1,085m) on Thursday. On Friday, they were back in Ireland to climb the country's highest peak, Carrauntoohil, in Co Kerry (1,038 metres). The challenge concluded on Saturday afternoon at Croagh Patrick, the smallest of the five peaks, standing at 764 metres. Fr Richard Gibbons, Parish Priest of Knock, who knew James McNeive personally, said a prayer at the top of the mountain after the group of climbers arrived shortly after 12.30pm. James's cousin, Ross Egan, felt 'a lot of emotion' and 'a sense of accomplishment' after reaching the top of Croagh Patrick. 'There is only one man that everybody would do this for, and that is James,' he told the Irish Independent. 'We didn't envisage this at all. Not in our wildest dreams,' said Enda Sweeney, another cousin of James McNeive. 'We started off with a healthy target of €50,000. 'The last four weeks it has just climbed dramatically in front of our very eyes. 'It is a testament to James. 'It's great to see 500 people here supporting the family, supporting us, and hopefully doing it for James. We're absolutely buzzing. It's great to see.' Mr Sweeney paid tribute to 'an absolute army of a team' who helped organise the 5-Peak Challenge. 'There is a whole army of people behind the scenes, that you never see on any of these media reports, that have helped us out drastically. 'It's just a whole community coming together, for us, for James.' For Ross Egan, the enduring memory of the climb will be the stories they shared of James in between the five climbs. Each participant undertook the challenge at their own expense to maximise the funds raised for charity. 'We were telling our stories, we were chatting about James, we were [creating] a positive he would have loved to be here. That's how I'll remember the 5 Peaks,' said Mr Egan. James's brother, Matthew, undertook three of the climbs despite living with kidney failure which required dialysis twice during the five-day period. Some of the funds raised will go to the Irish Kidney Association, a charity important to James and the McNeive family. 'James had this rare ability to light up any room and lift the people around him, whether you were a friend, a student or a stranger,' Matthew said. 'He had a deep love for his school communities and his local GAA club. 'That's why the charities we have chosen reflect his passions - teaching, mental health, sport, a children's charity, and of course the Irish Kidney Association, because he never liked to see me struggle. 'He always wanted to do something to help and supported organ donation.' Members of Aghamore GAA and Tooreen GAA clubs were among the 500 climbers on Saturday afternoon. Among them were Mayo footballer Fergal Boland, former All-Star defender Brendan Harrison, Mayo TD Paul Lawless – all former teammates of James McNeive, and former Mayo ladies football team captain Sarah Tierney, and celebrity architect Dermot Bannon. The climb was particularly poignant for Mr Bannon as James taught his son while he was based in Dublin. 'We were just devastated when we found out James passed away. It was a huge shock to the school community. 'He was a great teacher, and the kids all loved him, so he was a huge part of their lives. 'For any family to lose somebody so young is really hard. It is unimaginable. 'All of this helps them get through it. It does not make it any better, it doesn't solve anything but it just helps them get through. So it's nice to just be on the journey today.' A climb of a Mount Maroon near Brisbane in Australia by Irish people living in the area took place last week in solidarity with the 5-Peak Challenge. To date, the 5-Peak Challenge has raised over €125,000 for the following causes: Make-A-Wish Ireland, Daisy Lodge, Irish Kidney Association, Mayo MindSpace, Irish Heart Foundation, and various schools and GAA clubs close to James' heart.
