 Gages ago now. When was that? Anybody know when Harry Styles was in slain? Anyway, that is irrelevant because we have different stars here in live in the studio here today. That is the voice of young Rory and Rory is six years old and he's going to be seven now in September. So Claire Louise McDevidge you're very welcome here to Highland Radio and you are Rory's mom. Now just a little bit of a background here about why Rory and why his mom Claire are here today. Rory's big climb to Eregal is happening on Sunday the 20th of August and I did say Rory was six but nearly seven isn't that right Rory? Soon seven and Rory has cerebral palsy and multiple medical complexities. So Claire and her family are undertaking this huge challenge at Rory's request to climb the big mountain. So they've sourced and adapted a carrier and stuff but I'm not going to read anymore. I'm going to actually get Claire to tell us all about what's happening. So Claire do you want to tell us first of all the background about why this is happening? I suppose Rory with his big personality and his being the boss of the house and the boss of us you know we initially climbed there a couple of years ago and myself and Alan, Rory's dad and his three older siblings and since we did that he stayed with his nurse that day and since we did that he kept saying no I want to climb the big mountain and we pass it a lot as you can imagine living in Gidore and you know every time we'd pass it he'd say I want to go up the big mountain and I suppose for us as a family we thought wouldn't it be amazing if we could do it together. Now obviously with Rory with a physical disability and lots of medical complexities it's not an easy thing to contemplate doing. Never mind actually putting that into action. But you're making it doable. Oh we are we are and I suppose Rory had a really really rough he's had a rough few years and I know you know us from when he was a baby Trudy. He did I was very lucky to have met Rory whenever he was a baby. I don't think Rory remembers. But he was you know and he was hospitalized for quite some time before Christmas and lots of really really down hell moments so we're going uphill now and we want to live his best life you know at the moment and we want to give him all the things we can give him and and that is about experiencing things as a family together and just enjoying life itself. So climbing the mountain is is one of those wishes and we're going to make it. And that's Rory's wish and it's not just Rory it is a family affair isn't it and Rory has a big brother and sister too don't you Rory? Rory do you want to tell us the name of your big brother and big sister? Lucas and Coco. Lucas and Coco. And Lorcan's listening at home. And Bakken. Who's that? His little brother, his big brother. Big brother how many how many brothers and sisters do you have can you add them up? One one sister two brothers. There we go excellent and you've got one sitting beside you too isn't that right? Is he your he's your number one fan I think is he? Yes he is. Now Rory I'm going to ask you a question because you're wearing a very special cap today and I can read that that cap says honorary guarda do you want to tell me what that means Rory? That means I'm part of the honorary guarda. Oh my goodness and do you have jobs to do? Yeah mixer no one's done fast. Make sure no one's gone fast so do you go out on the road and help with that? Yeah if I have my notebook. And tell me what happens if somebody is going fast? They get a ticket. Oh my goodness they get a ticket? But if they so many times again they will get arrested and put into prison. That's it exactly the can only get so many tickets and then it's time to arrest them and do you put them into prison? Yeah well I don't have a prison at my house but my bedroom's a prison for my sister Coco. So you play honorary guarda do you play as well at the house? Yeah but I net one of the handcuffs to the door so they can't stay. Now you tell me this Rory it's your idea and you're the one who wants to climb this big mountain do you know the name of the big mountain? Erigal. Oh you are clever and so it's your idea to make everybody climb up Erigal and how are you going to get up the mountain? Do you know how you're going to get up? With my carrier. And your carrier exactly so your mum and dad. And I got to walk up some. You want to walk some as well oh my goodness you are amazing now I know the listeners are listening out there and they already heard Rory's mum Claire mentioning that he has a big personality so now you can hear an action there and he is doing an excellent job speaking here live on the radio he's live on Facebook and live out in all the Highland Radio channels and he is not one bit shy so maybe mum you'll tell me as well you're doing this for charity so yeah I suppose because it's such a big a big challenge for us we very much felt like and obviously we can't do it alone yes and we couldn't just decide we were going to go up so you know Rory's guarda buddy and Siobhan Campbell has been amazing and she's based in Bunmuk Garda station and she has been wonderful in helping us put the wheels in motion to get this done and to get it done safely safely for Rory absolutely but safely for daddy who will be carrying him on his back so we have the help of the Donegal Guardi we have help from the Advanced Paramedics and we have help from the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team and really they will be the you know they will be the force that will be with us but at the same time the public and family friends everyone you know but we want to use this opportunity also to raise funds because the Little Blue Heroes amongst many many charities and we could you know we could have picked so many but the Little Blue Heroes have been a very very very good charity and supporting us over the last few years close to your own heart oh absolutely and even with his with his few months in hospital yes they were very very good and they were on my Christmas tree but you know in supporting us there when I was so far from home and you know we didn't know so yeah we're using the Little Blue Heroes but also there is a part of it we are fundraising for the Little Blue Heroes but we are also fundraising for families local families who are trying to get equipment and therapies and adaptions made to their homes because when it boils down to it we this is a thing that families like us have to do and we have to try and get the funds to get specialized equipment very very expensive as well and it is and every single little euro that comes in the way will help you know so unless you're really in that position where suddenly you need some simple or a basic adaption in your house you don't realize the cost of it and how many obstacles are just there every time you go in somewhere absolutely with the wheelchair and stuff there's always a little obstacle there is and and I think because we we really have we push for inclusion and you know and that's and this this claim and essentially is a big inclusive fully yeah absolutely and we're trying to make it happen and Royce Carrier was donated to us by one of the families that we we hope to try and help as well I mean that's that's a that's a big carrier that came all the way from America and especially adapted for children with with physical disabilities dad Alan is going to carry the carrier and he plans to do it the whole way up but we do have a really good team behind us that will hopefully help along the way as well yeah and shade the load share the load yes now getting them up is going to be one thing getting them back down is going to be very difficult as well yeah and I mean what we want to do is to encourage everybody come out if you've never thought if you've thought about climbing Ergo but I've never done it that's what I was just it couldn't be the safest day to do it yeah exactly so basically we can invite the community to come and do that as well on the day absolutely yeah support us because the push will and if you're even if you can't climb you know just being there to cheer to cheer everybody on you know it's a great foundation that we're supporting the families that we're hoping to support are amazing in their own you know and and it's just something you know it's it's it's his wish but we want to spread it community wide as well you know we want people to climb with us not for us with us and it's a big journey to take together it is it is it's a lovely challenge though to do and I think the fact that you're doing it as a family and the fact that you're involving so much of the local community and you're looking for everybody to be included in it and as you say let's emphasize that it is fully and you don't have to climb it either do you just being there at the bottom well you're going to need people there at the bottom absolutely you on at the start and to give you that encouragement and then you're definitely not need the people at the bottom whenever we come down and as and as rory kind of slipped away a little secret there we hope we hope we hope that that that if you know we can that he will use his his his big walker to take the last few steps down the mountain amazing wasn't it and we'll go back to rory here are we second now just before we we finish up rory are you very excited about doing this yeah that's the most exciting thing about it what do you think get into the top yeah what are you going to do then at the top um uh see the whole field and see the universe see you are going to see the universe so if anybody hasn't managed to climb erigal yet they could climb erigal with you and see the universe wouldn't that be a lovely experience you might sing some songs at the top maybe would you i hear you're a big fan of frozen i'd say we'll be singing plenty on the way up to sing that on the way up now so again guys what are you going to say rory let's do it now you wanted we might have to get you in another day to sing some songs we might have to get you up to sing live now so just that information now for the listeners out there claire and anybody that might like to first of all come along on the day it is happening on sunday the 20th of august so what what time do you think is the hope is that we will take off around 11 maybe 12 o'clock um during the day um we should know seven days in advance from the coast guard um now they will be on standby as well you know we have a very very great team supporting us oh my goodness guiding you as well yes the guidance they have the knowledge of the mountains you know and weather wise they will be um giving us a heads up in advance you know so so look do i encourage everyone to to if you see our facebook posts if you see our instagram posts please follow us because whether we can't predict it but we hope to have a good outlook seven days in advance the hope is that we'll take off around 11 12 o'clock so we're kind of saying around 10 o'clock that we'll start to gather around and that will all be cordoned off so we do encourage people to to come along but also be mindful that parking is very limited around there so and like that we'll have refreshments well we hope for refreshments so people might be able to carpool on that as well so as opposed it's going to be um your way of getting the time and that information out to people is through social media absolutely so you'll be sure and link in with us here at highland we'll hopefully be able to share the details for you because i am sure there'll be a lot of it's not going to be a quick climb as you can imagine i will be carrying worries backpack with his feet his monitors and i'll be right beside daddy it is an estimated slow climb which might suit a lot of people absolutely because i know there are a lot of climbs happening and then some people that might not have done it and i've made that little bit of fear this is this is an opportunity if you only get as far as the first path if they only get as far as halfway up look it's not about reaching the top for us absolutely if we reach the top we will be so happy but it's look it's about taking each step as it comes and we do that in his life anyway we take every step as it comes and just enjoy it so again and the other little thing then um is the charity as well so on your um social media and the things that you're sharing all the ways of donating are on that as well yeah and on the day we'll have buckets as well that we'll we'll take cash donations and we do have the i donate link and it's i donate and then it's forward slash rory's climb number four heroes brilliant so again everybody keep an eye on the socials there for that and rory's climb happening on sunday the 20th of august and i have a song lined up here as well and uh a lot of people might not realize that um they have been listening to rory's granddad playing music for a long time haven't they no they have been listening to your granddad playing music all our listeners out there have listened but i don't think yes i don't think they might realize that so i have a very special song lined up here for two reasons the first reason is because it's called the hills of dunigol and it's a very appropriate song because you're going to climb the biggest hill in dunigol but the second reason is because your granddad is playing an instrument on this song isn't it yes what instrument is your granddad playing on this song what's the instrument papa plays the fiddle papa's playing the fiddle on this so mr stevy cambal the fiddle player with goat stone shave is playing the fiddle on their recording so our listeners have been listening to rory's granddad for years and years and years and singing along and a fantastic fiddle playing of stevy cambal claire's dad as well so we have that lined up and we are going to finish up this interview now thank you very much rory for coming in thank you to lucas his big brother here supporting him and thank you so much to claire for all your information and we here at highland wish you the best of luck on your climb and we look forward to watching it and we look forward to seeing um how you actually finish it as well and i'm sure there'll be lots of fantastic photographs and videos on that so let's listen to granddad papa now on the fiddle this is for everybody out there that might