LIMERICK harpist Siobhan Brady has soared to new heights with her music after she successfully beat her own Guinness World Record.
The 24-year-old from Castletroy last week completed her quest to reach the 5,895-metre summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The Limerick woman’s ambitious and imaginative challenge was part of a Guinness World Record attempt to host a unique concert on Africa’s highest peak titled, the ‘Highest Harp Concert’.
The current Guinness World Record for the highest altitude harp performance was previously set by Siohbhan in 2018 in the Himalayan region of India, at more than 4,800 metres.
Funding raised from the challenge will support the key work of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland
The 20-minute concert consisted of an array of traditional and more recent compositions from Ireland and also included a Tanzanian jig.
Also part of the high-altitude concert was a rendition of Ed Sheeran’s Little Bird.
The song has a special place in the hearts of the Cystic Fibrosis community, and the poem The Prophets Are Weeping, by Irish President Michael D Higgins, was read by well-known CF advocate Caroline Heffernan.
“We are elated beyond words and immensely proud of the incredible team and support that made this ambition dreamt up a few years ago somehow become a reality. The final hours before reaching the summit were a real test of resilience. However we somehow made it through and found the perfect moment for the concert with only the clouds below us,” Siobhan explained.
“It’s been an unforgettable experience, rewarding and challenging in equal measure, and I know I speak from all of the team when I thank everyone who sent in messages from far and wide. The constant encouragement and support made some of the steps forward all that bit easier.”
Departing Ireland last week, the core team of 19 flew to Tanzania following over two years of meticulous planning and numerous training events on Irish peaks, and more recently Mount Teide located on the Canary Island of Tenerife.
Leading them up Mount Kilimanjaro — the world’s largest free-standing mountain — was renowned Irish mountaineer and adventurer Pat Falvey, who oversaw the complex and expansive logistics involved which included an African-based team made up of around 60 people.
Before departing to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, the team were given a send-off from Irish Ambassador for Tanzania, Mary O’Neill, who presented Siobhan with an Irish flag to take to the summit.
