Aoibhin Garrihy has revealed her “strong faith” helped her get through a tough time when her husband John Burke was climbing Mount Everest.
The hotelier summited the world’s highest mountain in 2018, and Aoibhin didn’t hear from him for a week as he climbed.
Speaking to the RTÉ Guide, the mum-of-two said: “It was hard saying goodbye to him at base camp and leaving him there. It was tough, waiting to hear and not knowing what was happening.”
Aoibhin admitted she turned to prayer to cope with the worry of not hearing from her husband.
She said: “I have a strong faith and I do pray. I pray to those I’ve lost and loved, but religion is a strange one.
“Many of us look for something greater than ourselves, particularly in times of need.”
“Once, when John was climbing a mountain and I hadn’t heard from him in a week and didn’t know what to do, I went to the Poor Clares in Ennis and sat with Sister Bernadine and prayed.”
The couple are currently expecting their third child, and are so excited about their new arrival.
Aoibhin gushed: “I come from a family of three and John is one of three as well so yes, maybe it was all part of the plan.”
“We feel so lucky and the two girls were a great distraction over the past 18 months or so. They are a blessing and so much fun. So more madness up ahead in the next few weeks but it will be all good.”
Aoibhin and John are already parents to two daughters – Hanorah and Líobhan.
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