Youngest Irish person to climb Everest: How a day in the ‘death zone’ led to a once-in-a-lifetime achievement

'Getting out of that tent was so tough': 22-year-old Waterford student Adam Sweeney describes the Irish team's decision to make one final tilt at Everest's summit

Inspired by summiting Aconcagua in Argentina, 22-year-old Adam Sweeney from Dunmore East suspended his accounting studies at SETU to join an Irish team climbing Everest. File picture

Adam Sweeney wrote himself into the annals of history as he stood at the summit of Mount Everest in the early hours of Wednesday, May 20.

At 22 years old, Sweeney became the youngest Irish person to summit Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,848.86m above sea level.

In many ways, his life is far removed from those of his peers. Yet he says he still battles the same ills that plague most of Gen Z, with self-consciousness and fear of judgement almost denying him his place in history.

“You think that if you have a mad idea, that you’re going to get laughed at,” says Adam.

Three years ago, when he first announced plans to summit Everest, he “was absolutely terrified of what people might think”.

Alongside former Mayo intercounty footballer Pádraig O’Hora and Dubliner Éanna McGowan, Adam was part of the first Irish team to reach the summit since 2003.

The reception since reaching the summit has been mad, he admits.

Public reaction is 'absolutely great'

“You don’t realise [the public engagement] once you’re over there — you’re in a bubble, you’re five days without wifi.

“But, coming back, taking photos with people, it’s been really weird, I’ll tell you that for a fact. It’s been absolutely great, people coming up, and even kids coming up and saying ‘you’re an inspiration’ and stuff like that.

“I wasn’t expecting any of that.”

Jason Black, Éanna McGowan, Adam Sweeney, and Pádraig O'Hora arriving at Dublin Airport after successfully summiting Everest last month, becoming the first Irish team in more than 20 years to reach the world’s highest peak. File picture: Brian McEvoy

Growing up in the idyllic town of Dunmore East, Co Waterford, Adam was always immersed in the outdoors — his parents Karen and Gavin have run an outdoor adventure centre for 30 years.

At 16, during the covid lockdown, Adam cycled the perimeter of Ireland to raise funds for Solas.

Then came forays into mountaineering, tackling ascents of Nepal’s Ama Dablam and Argentina’s Aconcagua in 2024.

Adam is studying for an undergraduate degree in accounting at South East Technological University, but
deferred his studies to train full-time for scaling Everest.

The Irish team — Jason Black, Éanna McGowan, Pádraig Ó Hora, and Adam Sweeney — had a nervous wait in Everest's 'death zone' last month before successfully climbing to the summit. File picture

Preparing in Ireland was always going to have its shortcomings, he says, especially when it came to honing the required mental fortitude to overcome one of mankind’s enduring challenges.

“There was days where you just didn’t want to get out of bed, it just sounded so tough… The altitude is so hard to deal with.”

If there was ever a bad year to climb Everest, 2026 was likely the worst. The team landed in Kathmandu in early April, aiming to avoid the heavy traffic that plagues the mountain around peak season.

Ice block halted Everest climbers 

An unprecedented glacial ice block loomed over the Khumbu icefall, one of the key points on the trek to the peak, severely stymying progress.

“We didn’t know if the ice was going to open at all, so that was very hard mentally,” says Adam.

Once the team got the go-ahead to push for the summit, the group’s leader, Jason Black — one of only two Irish mountaineers to have summited K2 — was forced to turn back due to an ankle injury.

Adam Sweeney near the summit of Everest. File picture

After weeks on the mountain, they finally reached Camp Four on May 18, the highest resting point beneath the summit.

They took their shot at the summit, but conditions forced them to turn back. Camp Four is the only recovery camp located in Everest’s ‘death zone’, an area on the mountain where the altitude is so steep the human body cannot physically acclimatise.

Mountaineers are advised not to spend more than 24 hours in the death zone due to the wafer-thin, suffocating air. However, the team was preparing to remain there for around 48 hours in a bid to reach the summit.

“It was a very quiet tent that night. We didn’t know if we were going to get the opportunity to go again,” says Adam.

In May, an unprecedented glacial ice block loomed over the Khumbu icefall, one of the key points on the trek to the peak, severely hampering climbers' progress. Picture: iStock 

“A lot of people over there have a lot of money and stuff like that, but unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to go again.”

Costs to summit Everest are always going to be steep.

Adam, who was supported by his parents, local businesses, and a GoFundMe, estimates his trip to Everest cost in the region of €55,000.

He says it was a now-or-never decision to push for the summit again.

“I genuinely believe that if it wasn’t for the three of us being there, egging each other on, if there was one of us, I don’t think we would have made it.

“Getting out of that tent was so tough… We were looking at each other and saying: ‘I’m not going to drop out until he drops out.’”

Adam Sweeney near the summit of Everest. File picture

Having reached the top of the world, lofty challenges still lie at home. There is some dread in his voice when he talks about returning to his accounting studies.

“I was talking to someone yesterday, and they were saying: ‘Oh, yeah. If you do Everest, you can pass your 12 exams.’ The parents are using that enough. We’ll see how that goes.

“Now once I’m home, I’m thinking about doing something else, maybe a long walk across Antarctica or something like that.”