If you’re scared of heights in any way, just watching this what this rock climber does may make you shudder.
Local Donegal rock climber Iain Miller decided to make the most of the glorious holiday weekend weather by testing the his climbing skills on the rock stacks off Tory Island.
Located nine miles from the north west coast of mainland Donegal, Tory Island (or Oileán Thoraí) may only be 3 miles long and 0.6 miles wide but it is rich in opportunities for climbers to test their metal on some extremely tough routes.
Taking to the Balore Sea Stacks just off the island, Miller made freesolo ropeless ascent of the center stack, believed to be 45 meters high, and managed to capture his remarkable climb for us all to enjoy.
As much as we’re certain the view Miller had and sense of achievement he must have felt on reaching the summit were more than worth the climb, we won’t recommend this one to your average tourist as we don’t want any broken bones getting in the way of your Irish adventure.
For more experienced rock climbers, however, Tory Island is a dream with the whole north face of the island composed of cliffs and plenty of potential to find new climbing routes.
Boats from the mainland go out to Tory every day and, although the island is small with a population of just 144 people, there’s plenty to keep adventure-seekers entertained. So no need to rush it into a day trip, stay and explore this Gaeltacht [Irish-speaking] area and get as many climbs in as possible.
Most importantly, make sure to introduce yourself to Rí Thóraí (The King of Tory), a person chosen according to longstanding tradition by the island’s people to act as their spokesperson and to welcome visitors.
Miller may have made it look easy, but climbing this center stack is no mean feat. Just look how tiny he looks in these shots along the way.
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