My family's swift fall into despair began sometime during the night of the 3rd of December 2008 when our daughter Eve passed quietly away. She was due to be born on Tuesday the 9th to a welcoming committee of a loving brother, doting parents and grandparents and a wider family eagerly anticipating the first girl to be born into the clan. She was buried on the 11th of the month.2009 was an exceptionally difficult year for us. We went through our days, as you do, largely motivated to keep going by our young son who didn't deserve to see his mother and father in such terrible pain. Beyond going to work and spending time with my wife and son I didn't and couldn't do much more with my days. Early in June my wife Liz took part in the Women's Mini-Marathon, raising over ?7,000 for ISANDS in the process. When a friend congratulated her in an email and asked 'When's Murray's race?' I thought to myself that it wouldn't be anytime soon. And yet a seed had been planted and I began to mull over what I might do to honour my little girl.We were most fortunate to spend much of 2009 expecting a baby. Thankfully everything worked out wonderfully and she came into our lives in mid-December. I'd be lying if I said it was an easy pregnancy. After losing Eve, the nine months left us feeling like terrified passengers on a turbulent long-haul flight. We got to touch down in the end but you never relax until your feet are solidly planted on terra firma. With the birth of our third child, Grace, an awful lot of the stress and anxiety of the previous nine months was lifted from our shoulders and I found myself capable of thinking of the year to come rather than holding my breath hoping nothing would go wrong. Early in January I floated the idea to Liz that I'd like to walk to the top of each county in Ireland - to raise funds for ISANDS, to honour Eve, and to shake myself up a little after a long period of inactivity.Liz thought it was a good idea so I began my research, soon learning that among the 32 counties there are 26 mountains that form the highest points. Some mountains serve as the highest point in two counties, Mount Leinster for example tops Carlow and Wexford. And so my adventure began on a cold clear morning in January when I set out for the twenty minute drive from our home in Lucan to Cupidstown hill in Kildare. It's a small hill tucked in behind Kilteel off the N7 with fine views towards the West. In spite of the mere ten minute walk from the road to the summit I was ecstatic to have the challenge under way. It felt great to be out in the fresh air and to contemplate all the mountains I had yet to visit.Over the following months I tried to head off once a week to tackle the smaller mountains that were closer to home. Generally I went on my own, choosing a destination and investigating where to park and how to get to the summits. I was getting to see parts of the country I had never heard of before, much less visited. From ancient burial tombs in Loughcrew Co. Meath to the wonderful beech forest of Mullaghmeen in Westmeath, I was discovering some of the wonders of this land and slowly feeling some kind of inner contentment growing within me. In short, getting some exercise outdoors is highly therapeutic.To honour Evemoments36

There were great highs - Liz has remarked that I often appeared visibly refreshed when I returned home after a walk - and occasional lows. One time, upon finishing a tiring walk up Mount Leinster, I was driving home feeling on top of the world, singing a favourite song. All of a sudden I became aware of my happiness in the moment and realised with a shock that I was still the father of an absent daughter. It's a crash all parents in this position feel and it's never easy to handle when it comes. Another time, while taking my coffee by the passage grave on the summit of Slieve Gullion, I was thinking about Eve when it struck me that people had been honouring their dead in that very spot for thousands of years. Being there, and grieving myself, I felt strangely connected to the spirit of that beautiful location, and aware that while my loss is unique to me, sadly it is not unique. (Gullion is just minutes from Newry and very accessible - you should visit!)I have learned a lot over the course of the year, like how you shouldn't lock your keys in your car on the quietest road in the Slieve Blooms. If you do insist on shutting yourself out of your car, I recommend not doing it while half dressed, and try to keep your phone on your person rather than on the driver's seat.beside your keys. (The AA man took two hours to locate the road I was on, and confessed over a coffee from my flask that he thought I was "a nut job.") I learned too that if you can't navigate in cloud then a snow-bound walk near Kippure in the Dublin Mountains can take six hours instead of three and a half.After these incidents I went on to learn how to read a map and compass and develop a nervous tick where I tap my pockets to feel my car keys every minute or so.Not all of the walking has been carried out alone. I have had friends with me on many of the peaks, as well as my parents and my son who has loved tackling some of the easier hills. (I couldn't have done any of this without the support of Liz who has been minding the baby during all of my long days away from home!) These walks in company have been among the most enjoyable with the shared exertion and easy conversation making for memorable days out and deepened relationships. Walking alone has its place too, as I find I have more time to observe my surroundings and reflect on how life is, and how great this country can be. By the summer time I had made steady progress and completed over half of the Mountains on the list. As a result I felt ready to initiate phase II of the project and start raising some funds for ISANDS/A Little Lifetime. I have been writing a blog detailing each of the walks I have done, so I added to this by opening a fund-raising webpage and began sending mails to friends and family asking for their support. People have been most generous; especially many of the folks on the Little Lifetime forum so thank you to one and all for your encouragement.Now it is late August and I have stood on top of 20 of the 26 Mountains. I'm almost sad to anticipate the end of the challenge because it has been such a fulfilling experience. Still, I'm glad to have six more walks remaining and look forward to getting back out there before the short evenings draw in once again.Murray Nolanmoments37