A Dublin climber has become the first Irishwoman to reach the summit of the sixth-highest mountain in the world, the Tibetan peak Cho Oyu.
Ms Grania Willis reached the top of the 8,201-metre mountain last week as part of the Himalayan Experience expedition.
The equestrian correspondent of The Irish Times, Ms Willis left for Tibet immediately after the Olympic Games in Athens, where she had reported on the show-jumping and Cian O'Connor's gold medal win.
Working at the Olympic Games meant she was 10 days behind the rest of the expedition members. However, she made up time, acclimatising rapidly, and joined the rest of the team in reaching the summit of Cho Oyu last Monday.
Ms Willis, who is due home in Dublin this week, is now planning an attempt on Mount Everest next spring and hopes to become the first Irishwoman to climb the more demanding north face.
She is planning to use the expedition to raise funds for cancer research and the Irish Hospice Foundation.
A relative newcomer to climbing, Ms Willis is only the third Irishwoman to climb more than 8,000 metres, joining Dr Clare O'Leary and Ms Samantha O'Carroll, who both reached the summit of Everest in May.
Also taking part in the Himalayan Experience expedition was New Zealander Mr Mark Inglis, who became the first double amputee to climb the Tibetan peak.
He was forced to delay his attempt but reached the summit shortly after 9 a.m. last Monday, his 45th birthday.
Mr Inglis lost both legs to frostbite 22 years ago after being stranded by storms for a fortnight on the New Zealand peak Mount Cook.
He fought back to full health, winning silver in the cycling at the Paralympic Games in Sydney four years ago.