Northern Ireland

'Baby' Banjo climbs Kilimanjaro for the Children's Hospice

Picture taken by 11-year-old Conor Bannon during his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Picture taken by 11-year-old Conor Bannon during his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Picture taken by 11-year-old Conor Bannon during his climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.

A SOUTH Armagh schoolboy has become the youngest person to climb one of Mount Kilimanjaro's most difficult treks, raising more than £4,000 for terminally ill children in the process.

Conor Bannon, son of climber Terrence 'Banjo' Bannon took seven nights and eight days to scale the world's tallest freestanding mountains, formidable Lemosho or 'Wild West' route.

The pupil of Killean PS took on the feat for the NI Children's Hospice after visiting sick children at the facility.

Conor climbed the Tanzanian mountain with his mother Lauren O'Malley, herself an accomplished mountaineer.

Speaking to the Irish News yesterday, his father said that the local people were throwing a party for his son, so impressed were they that a child of his age had managed the enormous feat of physical endurance.

Banjo Bannon was the first person to be awarded the freedom of his native Newry after scaling Everest. It was there he met his wife Lauren, a Boston native.

Last year Ms O'Malley completed the gruelling 156 mile Marathon des Sables – six marathons, back to back – in the Sahara Desert, but had said she wanted to take on Kilimanjaro to test herself, with her son asking could he come along as well.

The young Gaelic player lives with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, meaning he needs fortnightly blood infusions at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

His father said he visited the hospice after feeling down about his own illness, and said afterwards that he wanted to raise funds.

"We were talking after he visited the hospice and he said, 'you know there are children much worse off than me' and that's where the idea first came from," said Mr Bannon.

"He's only 11, but planned and fund-raised by himself, Lauren said that a few times during the climb she asked did he want to turn back. Near the summit there's only 30 per cent oxygen and that takes it out of your body, but even though he was being sick and struggling at times he said he didn't want to let the hospice children down and kept going.

"He's an extraordinary young lad, I'm so proud of him, if he can achieve something like this at just 11, well who knows what else life has in store for him."