Firefighter Alan climbs Kilimanjaro for Eoghan

A TALLAGHT firefighter climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for adaptations to the home of a young Clondalkin man who was paralysed in a mountain-biking accident.

Alan Sexton, 40, who lives in Killinarden, took on the seven-day hike from February 4 to February 11, to raise funds for the Fight with Eoghan campaign in aid of Eoghan Gorman.

Eoghan, who is in his early 20s and grew up in Greenpark in Clondalkin, suffered a life-changing spinal injury in a mountain-biking accident in Ticknock in October 2021.

He is now paralysed from the neck down and is an in-patient in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire, but regularly returns to his parents’ home in Clondalkin for visits.

However, the house will need to be adapted for Eoghan to live there, which led to the establishment of the Fight with Eoghan campaign to raise money for the work to be carried out.

Firefighter Alan decided to climb Kilimanjaro in aid of Eoghan after some of his Dublin Fire Brigade colleagues held a fundraiser in The Square for the young man last year.

“I found out about Eoghan at the time of his accident,” Alan told The Echo.

“And then some of the lads from the fire station did a fundraiser in The Square for him.

“I was already going to Kilimanjaro, and I thought, I want to raise a few bob for someone, because I wanted to do it on a more personal note.

“I was actually in Ticknock when I saw that the lads were doing a collection for a man who was injured in Ticknock.

“I made contact with Eoghan’s dad, Dean, and I went up to his house to meet him and Eoghan.

“I thought I’d only be there for 30 minutes, but I was there for four hours talking to Eoghan and his dad.

“I hit it off with Eoghan, more or less straight away, and kept in touch with him during the climb, and sent him photos from it.”

Alan undertook the mammoth task with Eoghan at the forefront of his mind, and recounted the arduous climb he undertook for Fight with Eoghan.

“I was on the mountain for seven days, walking every day,” he said.

“You’re walking for between six and 14 hours every day.

“I did have nerves about the stuff I couldn’t control, like bags going missing or altitude sickness, but the walk itself? I wasn’t concerned about it.

“Walking was fine, but the last night – the summit night – was tough.

You set off from your tent at midnight, and you keep going until 8am when you reach the top.

“It was in really cold conditions, and there was a big snowstorm when we were there.

“You’re walking uphill in the dark and cold for hours, but then you get to the top and see the sunrise and you get a second wind.”

Now Alan is back on home soil, and is appealing to people to donate to his GoFundMe for Eoghan, which will accept donations until March 10 and has a target of €5,000.

“The money is being raised to make adaptations to Eoghan’s house,” added Alan, “because, at the moment, he’s a resident in the rehabilitation centre in Dun Laoghaire.

“But they need to free up space in there for people who have more recent injuries, and anything I can do to contribute to getting him back home is a job well done.”

Donations can still be made on Alan’s GoFundMe HERE