The Highest Harp Concert for CF is aiming to reach the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro tomorrow morning around (Tuesday 25th July) around 530am, providing all goes to plan.
It has been a really eventful few days since the team left Ireland last Thursday. The Irish harpist Siobhan Brady, who is behind this fundraising initiative, aims to break her own Guinness Book of Records entry for playing an Irish harp on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at an amazing 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) above sea level. Fund-raising from this event will support the work of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. The climbing experience for the challenge is provided by the renowned Irish climber Pat Falvey with local support from climbers from Tanzania. The team includes Caroline Heffernan, person with CF and CFI staff member.
Before departing for 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 and invited to a reception hosted by Dr. Hassan Abbasi, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism who had made the journey to personally see the team off. A glass plaque of Galway Crystal was presented for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the first female President of Tanzania, and the People of Tanzania in friendship and solidarity to mark the Highest Harp Concert.
Mount Kilimanjaro is a sacred mountain for many people in Tanzania and is known locally as ‘the seat of God’. CFI warmly supports this initiative, with humility and respect for the Highest Harp Concert team of climbers and those who have supported them and we acknowledge the kindness and expertise of the people of Tanzania who have supported the team in their challenge to play a harp concert and to read a poem from President Michael Higgins on the summit of the highest mountain in Africa.
If you would like to tune in, the Highest Harp team intend to broadcast the concert via a Microsoft Teams link available here, between approximately 6 and 630am. However, this comes with a note that this will very much depend on the weather, the signal and the time of summit.
On behalf of CFI, a huge thanks again to all those involved and supporting the Highest Harp Concert Challenge.
