Clare climbs into the history books
"We spent about 20 minutes on the summit," said the 33-year-old doctor as she and expedition leader Pat Falvey took time to celebrate their achievement from the top of the world.
"Pat, myself and four of the Sherpas got there at about the same time. It was fantastic to be looking down at all these amazing Himalayan mountains. Over on the other side of the summit you can look down at Tibet and actually see climbers coming up the north side," she said.
It was all a far cry from this time last year when a similar expedition saw her forced to withdraw with a stomach infection within a few thousand metres of the summit. During that attempt, fellow climber George Shorten, an anaesthetist at Cork University Hospital, also had to abandon his dream when he suffered severe altitude sickness. "Last year I had to turn back because I got sick at Camp 3.
George had gotten quite sick and I think that put me off. I only had a tummy bug but I was more concerned that something more serious would happen me."
On that occasion, they were also besieged by ferocious winds near the infamous Hillary Step a 40ft rock/ice climb which is the last major obstacle before the summit.
This time around, the weather behaved. "We were really lucky," said Clare, from Bandon, Co Cork. "We left for the last push at 9pm and summitted before seven in the morning. The weather was perfect, cold and clear."
The climb is also another achievement for Pat Falvey who becomes the only Irish person to climb Everest from both the Nepal and Tibetan approaches.
Four weeks ago, team member John Joyce was forced to abandon the climb due to exhaustion and altitude sickness.
"I know some of my colleagues think I'm absolutely mad," said Clare, who is training in gastroenterology at Beaumont hospital in Dublin. "But there are others who admire me for what I'm doing. Me, I just love climbing!"
She and the rest of the team now face a dangerous and difficult two-day descent to base camp, at about 18,000ft.
Five Irish people have reached the summit of Mount Everest: Dawson Stelfox in 1993; Pat Falvey in 1995 and yesterday; Mick Murphy and Ger McDonnell in 2003 and Clare O'Leary yesterday.