Kilteevan sisters Laura and Gina Gilleran were recently part of a group of ten people who scaled Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The sisters took five days to reach the 5,895-metre summit, covering a distance of 63 kilometres. On the night of the final ascent the climbers began in darkness at 12 midnight and reached ‘Uhuru’ peak at 6.20 am. The climb was physically very demanding but the girls luckily did not to suffer altitude sickness. Gina and Laura were among the ten percent of climbers who took the ‘Marangu’ route and succeeded in reaching the summit. Laura and Gina dedicate the climb to the memory of their aunt Moira Gilleran. The girls said ‘Aunt Moira inspired all those who knew her, especially young people. She encouraged them to believe that with hard work and self-confidence you can achieve anything.’ On Friday the 4th of January Laura, Gina and their family and friends organised a fundraising social in Murray’s Pub, Knockcroghery in aid of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. The event raised the fantastic sum of €11,235 for palliative care services. Laura and Gina this week thanked all who supported the event. The girls said a special word of thanks to the people of the parishes Rahara, St John’s and Knockcroghery, family, friends and relatives for their very generous help and support and to musician ‘Vinegar Bill’ for performing free of charge for the night. Cynthia Clampett, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation sincerely thanked the Gilleran family and all who supported the event. She said, ‘It was an amazing amount of money to raise from a relatively small community and the Foundation greatly appreciate the kind and generous support of the people from Rahara, St John’s and Knockcroghery.’ She also said ‘I look forward to meeting the girls when they get back from Africa to congratulate them on their great achievement.’
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