Father to climb Patrick’s Hill 65 times for charity

By Marguerite Kiely

A Cork father will take on the epic task of climbing Patrick’s Hill 65 times in 1 day to raise funds for charity after the loss of his daughter last year.

Padraig Carroll from Carrigaline will take on the challenge for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and has vowed to “jog, walk or crawl” up Patrick’s Hill as part of their 65 Roses Day on 15 April.

Padraig’s son Lucas and daughter Alice both were born with cystic fibrosis, which motivated him to raise funds for the charity.

“Lucas was born with cystic fibrosis which is a condition that affects the lungs and the digestive system,” he told the Cork Independent.

He continued: “It was devastating when he was diagnosed. But the CUH team was incredible and so understanding. They told us not to worry and that he had a bright future ahead.”

Padraig explained that every person has a 1 in 19 chance of carrying the gene. When 2 people meet who both carry it there is a 25% chance that their baby will be born with cystic fibrosis. Per capita, Ireland has the highest number of cases of the condition in the world.

Padraig’s wife Priscilla gave birth to their 2nd child, Alice, in August 2022, however, she died at just 3 days old from complications of cystic fibrosis.

“It’s can be very tough, particularly when you see little girls running around with their mums, but Lucas is with us and he is gorgeous,” he said.

He added: “When I heard the Cystic Fibrosis Ireland 65 Roses Day was coming up, I knew I had to take on a challenge. I thought ‘Patrick’s Hill, 65 times, let’s try that.’ I told Priscilla my plan and she thought it was mad!”

It’s certainly going to be quite the undertaking as the distance of the climb is 32.5 kilometres, over twice the height of Carrauntoohil.

But Padraig can rely on friends and family who have promised to be there for support on the day along with well-wishers who will cheer him on.

“I’m going to start at 9am, that gives me ten hours to get it done. I’m 105kgs and that is a lot of mass to get up and down Patrick’s Hill,” he said.

Padraig set the goal for the fundraiser at €5,000 and he has smashed the target, with €8,000 already raised. The father explains that ultimately he just wants “Lucas and Alice to be proud of me and Priscilla”.

If you’d like to donate, go to Justgiving.com/fundraising/padraig-carroll.