Willie to climb 'four' the kids
IRELAND'S four highest mountains in three days! That's the challenge — the XL Challenge 2012 — Church Street native Willie Keane is undertaking along with 99 others in April to raise funds to build a vitally-needed school in rural Tanzania.
Willie, who lives in Nenagh where he manages a wholesalers, almost singlehandedly drove a campaign to provide a hospital in the East African country seven years ago.
That campaign saw a clinic in Arusha, Tanzania, converted into a fully functional hospital thanks to the €100,000 Willie helped raise at home through a number of walking fundraisers. The Church Street man, indeed, went out to officially hand over the hospital in April 2011, to Bishop Beatus Kinyala of the Catholic diocese of Mbulu.
It was during this trip however that Willie found his next mission while staying at a Masai village. During his time in the village Willie found that he and the chief had a mutual friend in a Clare man!
"This was an amazing link that brought me to the realisation that the world is just a global village and it became the catalyst to help build the Mondulu school project for Alais Ole Morinat and his tribe through the XL Challenge," Willie said.
He is now calling on everyone with a 'sense of adventure' and a couple of robust legs to join with him on the scaling of Ireland's four highest peaks in just three days. Willie is limiting the places to 100, so pre-booking is essential.
Starting on Friday, April 27, the 100 will climb Mount Brandon. The following day and it's up Carrauntoohill and Sunday takes the group up Galtee Mór in Tipp and then Lugnaquilla in County Wicklow. Everyone is allowed sleep for the rest of the week.
"Not only is it so important for the charity but it will give everyone who takes part a great sense of achievement as well and I can guarantee that it will be a brilliant weekend for hiking fans," he said.
Willie's son Billy, meanwhile, is helping organise a 'training day' on March 10 on Purple Mountain in Killarney in which he and a huge group of his work colleagues from the Kostal plant in Abbeyfeale will take part.
To sign-up ring Willie on (087)6633577 or email him on william.keane05@gmail.com. Log onto www.xlchallenge.ie for more information about the whole thing.
