Conor Bannon's achievement in becoming the youngest person to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa by its most gruelling route at the age of just 11 is nothing short of astonishing.
It is all the more remarkable that the pupil from Killean primary school in Newry lives with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, meaning that he needs fortnightly blood transfusions at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Conor, as we reported yesterday, took eight days to conquer the legendary 20,000 ft Tanzanian peak, raising over £4,000 for the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice in the process.
As the son of Lauren O'Malley, who accompanied Conor on his epic journey after completing six back to back marathons in the Sahara Desert last year, and Terence 'Banjo' Bannon, only the second Irishman to scale Mount Everest, he is clearly part of an exceptional family.
