"Back then both the event and the organisers went by different names: the 'Maamturks Walk' as it was known for many years, and the University College Galway MC (also known as the NUIG MC circa 1997 to 2022). Now, 50 years on, we are once again preparing for another glorious day on the hills. The age of the event stands as a testament, both to the dedication of generations of students who have organised this challenge while they simultaneously contest with their academic pursuits, and also to the amazing hillwalkers of Ireland and beyond, who year after year return to undertake the daunting challenge come rain, hail or shine, and make this event what its all about.
So, we wanted to mark this occasion by holding a commemoration of the Maamturks Challenge on Friday the 28th of March. Doors will open at 7pm at the Aula Maxima, in the Quadrangle of the University of Galway campus. Light snacks will be provided and some past challenge memorabilia will be on display. Then at 7:30pm we will hear from one of the clubs founding members, Hermann Rasche, about the Trial Walk of 1974 and the early days of the Challenge. Following that we will hear from our special guest speaker Nick Bullock. He is an accomplished mountaineer and climber and will be doing a talk on his life and some of his mountaineering achievements. He is known for his bold and courageous ascents of many peaks all over the world. He is also a writer and occasional poet, so it should make for a brilliant talk. After the lecture there will be a social gathering at a pub (location TBC), alongside some live music, where hopefully much craic will be had and stories of old recounted.
This event will be free and open to everyone, although we do hope to see many of our past participants, organisers and volunteers there!"
If you are interested in attending please RSVP via this link so the organisers can get an idea for numbers.