Ama Dablam

The first recorded Irish summit of Ama Dablam (6,812 metres) was in 1990 when Brendan Murphy reached the summit. The Dublin-born climber was an accomplished mountaineer who sadly died in an avalanche in India in 1997. The first Irish team to attempt Ama Dablam was in 1991 when a six-person team of Irish climbers made an attempt on the mountain, with Mick Murphy reaching the summit on that occasion. Over the years various Irish climbers have attempted the climb as individuals or small groups of two or three within larger commercial expedition teams. In 2024 a six-person Irish team from Black Mountaineering became the first all-Irish team to attempt the peak since 1991, with Adam Sweeney reaching the summit. In 2025 a four-person all-Irish team from Black Mountaineering attempted the peak, with no summits.

An assessment of available data shows 73 attempts on Ama Dablam by Irish climbers (North and South) over the years resulting in 40 summits. The oldest Irish person to successfully climb Ama Dablam was John Dowd (Kerry) aged 68, while the youngest was Adam Sweeney (Waterford) aged 20. Clare O’Leary was the first Irish woman to reach the top in 2006 while Rob Mortell (Limerick) is the only Irish climber to reach the summit of Ama Dablam twice. The average age of Irish climbers reaching the summit is 41 years. There may also be other summits that are not captured by the database, but our assessment is based on the data recorded in the Himalayan Database and individuals who have contacted us directly to confirm their summit success.

Here is a list of all Irish who attempted Ama Dablam:

Data Source: Himalayan Database

Data above does not include others with Irish links, including: Paddy Cave from in 2008, 2015 & 2017 (UK), Adam Boleslaw in 2002 (Poland, living in Dublin) and James Harris in 2009 (New Zealand, living in Tipperary). 1991 Irish team listed does not include Tim Hickey who was Base Camp Manager and is noted in the Himalayan Database as not climbing or intending to climb on that expedition. If we have missed out on anyone in our list, please get in touch and let us know.