Daniel Coughlan, Ben Shorten and James McCarthy recently went above and beyond to conquer the Four Peaks Challenge and raise much-needed funds for charity. The local men were part of a team of 22 colleagues from Grafton Merchanting ROI that has raised €68,456.10 in vital funds for four Irish charities, including Focus Ireland, CMRF Crumlin, Pieta House, and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, which were carefully chosen by colleagues at Grafton Merchanting ROI. Daniel, who is a Mallow native and son of Paddy and Mary, works in Cork Builders Providers Ltd in Cork city, while Ben from Kilnamaryra, Macroom, works at Heiton Steel Cork. James McCarthy from Mallow works in Chadwicks Builders Providers in Mallow. Together with the rest of their colleagues at Grafton Merchanting ROI, they not only defeated the Four Peaks but also smashed their fundraising target of €40,000 by raising €68,456.10 – almost €30,000 in excess of the initial goal for the four charities.
The Four Peaks challenge saw the team travel across the country to climb the highest mountain in each of Ireland’s four provinces in four days. In preparation for the mountain ascension, the team carried out months of training for the demanding four-day challenge. The team started with Carrauntoohil in Co. Kerry, followed by Mweelrea in Co. Mayo, Slieve Donard in Co. Down, and finally finishing with Lugnaquilla in Co. Wicklow in Co. Mayo, between 2nd and 5th May.