Former Rose escort among group to scale Mt Kilimanjaro

Dunboyne man Sean MacGarrell is one of a group of former Roses and escorts from the Rose of Tralee festival which has just returned from Tanzania, having scaled the continent's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in aid of international development charity, Voluntary Service Overseas. The five Roses and five escorts took six days to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, which is over 5,985 metres high (nearly six times the size of Ireland's highest mountain Carrauntuohill). The trek was organised by the Rose of Tralee festival's official charity partner, VSO, which places skilled volunteers overseas in developing countries. The group raised close to €25,000 by participating in the trek and also visited a VSO programme for the disabled in Nairobi prior to undertaking the trek. "It was a fantastic week and everyone really worked together to ensure we all made it to the top," Sean said. "Summit night was really tough; we climbed for over 14 hours, most of it in the dark and in freezing temperatures, but it was all worth it when you are above the clouds at the top. It was a great achievement that all 10 out of 10 Rose of Tralee trekkers reached the summit, which is quite rare for a group that size." VSO Ireland director Malcolm Quigley was delighted with the group's achievement. "I am very proud of this group, firstly for reaching the summit, but also for spending the last couple of months fundraising for VSO to participate in this trek. "We were also delighted to be able to offer this group an opportunity to see VSO volunteers at work on the ground in Nairobi where they visited a resource centre," he added.