Most Devoted to The Outdoor Scene supported by Craghoppers: Outsider Awards 2023

Energetic, world-class and simply incredible! We put the call out for you, our readers, to let us know about the most devoted people to the outdoor scene in 2023! Below you’ll find a list of nominees with boggling volunteerism and signif to their name. One winner will be picked from this list by our panel of judges and will be named the Most Devoted to The Outdoor Scene 2023 at our event on 21 Feb 2024 in the Sugar Club.

Competition!

To celebrate this year’s Outsider Awards Craghoppers have agreed to give you the chance to win €500 of Craghoppers kit! Fill out the form below.

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!

If you’re a nominee, consider yourself cordially invited to our annual awards ceremony on the evening of Wednesday 21 February 2024 in the Sugar Club, Dublin. We are thrilled skinny to announce that our fab sponsors are on board to help us celebrate all that is great and good about the Irish adventure scene, so it’s guaranteed to be a good party.

Our hugely generous title sponsor for the Outsider Awards 2023 is Sport Ireland Outdoors, our other supporting sponsors are Craghoppers, Leave No Trace, Salewa, Vagabond Tours, Sustainable Travel Ireland and Nuasan.

For everyone else, a limited number of tickets are on sale through the link below. Subscribe to our email newsletter on our homepage to hear more about the Outsider Awards 2023.

BUY YOUR TICKETS

We were bowled over by both the quality and quantity of the stories you sent us. So sit down, make yourself comfortable and read the spine-tingling and inspirational stories of these extraordinary people who are now officially on the long list of nominees for the #OutsiderAwards.

Jason Black, athlete and guide

Jason Black, a 51-year-old endurance athlete hailing from Donegal has an impressive track record in conquering extraordinary feats of endurance. Notable accomplishments include summiting Mount Everest and K2, and participating in the arduous Eco-Challenge Fiji adventure race. Despite these feats, Jason’s current focus lies in orchestrating adventures for others. Throughout this year, he has guided individuals across the globe and throughout Ireland, facilitating life-changing experiences and remarkable achievements.

In keeping with Jason’s commitment to leaving a positive impact, this year has seen him leading expeditions to Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, and Island Peak. Moreover, his leadership extends to challenging adventures within Ireland. Aligning with his ethos, Jason has also played a pivotal role in training numerous African mountain porters, empowering them to become mountain guides on Kilimanjaro. This effort has brought about significant positive changes for the families and friends of those who transition to becoming guides.

One of Jason’s most noteworthy guiding clients this year was Jennifer Doherty, a blind woman, who in 2023 climbed Ireland’s 7 summits. Jennifer was guided by Jason to Everest Basecamp in 2022 and in 2023 she climbed some of the most challenging mountains on the island of Ireland. A truly incredible achievement. Jason’s commitment to Jennifer’s success was apparent from the very beginning and his involvement certainly played a role in her conquering the 7 summits of Ireland.

Roz Purcell, hiker, business owner, outdoor advocate

Roz Purcell launches Leave No Trace, Love This Place on Killiney Hill.

Tipperary woman Roz Purcell has achieved a lot of success in her life so far. One recent venture she’s really proud of is creating The Hike Life (THL) community, a hiking community that aims to connect people with the outdoors and give them the tools they need to safely and consciously spend time outdoors. THL has grown massively in the last few years.

Roz offers hiking inspiration and information, documenting and posting about her hikes all over the country. In 2023, Roz released her first hiking book entitled “The Hike Life: My 50 Favourite Hikes in Ireland”. In the book, Roz outlines the routes as well as important gear, safety precautions and important information on some of the most incredible hikes in the country.

Roz was also closely involved in many outdoor advocacy projects this year. In May, Roz set up an initiative with the aim to get more women into outdoor leadership roles. The Women in the Great Outdoors Programme offered six women a free training weekend to get their Lowland Leader Award. This qualification is an important first step for any aspiring Mountain Leader. She was also closely involved with several campaigns with Leave No Trace. As part of the Love This Place campaign this summer. Roz and The Hike Life teamed up with Leave No Trace to promote waste-free outdoor enjoyment. As part of this campaign, The Hike Life did a litter pick hike around the Wicklow Mountains. As well as a number of people attending the hike, the Instagram post that Roz posted informing people about how long some rubbish takes to decompose in our outdoor spaces was viewed by over 135,000 people.

The impact of Roz’s message through social media will go a long way in improving people’s relationship with our outdoor spaces.

Brendan Lawlor, volunteer for IMRA and DWMRT

Brendan Lawlor is a past president of the Irish Mountain Running Association (IMRA) and an active member of Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue.

Brendan is a constant feature at IMRA races. If he’s not racing, he’s volunteering and more often than not he is doing both! The fact that Brendan not only volunteers but also participates in the races makes him a hugely valued member of the IMRA community. He has also delivered Race Director training for budding Race Directors, along with Vivian O’Gorman, yearly now for quite a few years, which is very useful and valuable training for the IMRA races.

A huge proportion of what Brendan does for the IMRA organisation might go unnoticed by the untrained eye. He speaks with his actions more often than his words and brings a very practical steady presence to IMRA. Despite not being a member of the committee, Brendan in many ways is the, “voice of IMRA”. He is often quick to respond on the forum when people of questions and quick to lend advice or a helping hand to anyone who needs it. What Brendan does in front of and behind the scenes makes him an invaluable asset to the voluntary organisations he is involved in.

Bryan Fennell, Recreation Team Leader for Coillte

Bryan Fennell has been the Rural Recreation Officer (RRO) of Wicklow and Leitrim, and is now the Recreation Team Leader for Coillte.

In his time as RRO for Wicklow, Bryan was instrumental in developing the Samuel Hayes Suspension Bridge for the Avonmore Way.

Bryan is constantly looking for ways to involve local communities in the recreation of their area, and pioneers new approaches to trail development with the ethos of sustainable development. As the RRO for Leitrm, he completed the restoration of the Leitrim Way and reopened the trail after decades of trail closure. One of the major developments of the Leitrim Way thanks to Bryan was the Sheep’s Wool Path.

Partnering with Mountain Meitheal NorthWest, Bryan and a team of volunteers used sheep’s wool as the foundation for the trail, using the wool from the very sheep that grazed that section of the trail. This project was the first of its kind in Ireland, and Bryan was invited to the World Trails Conference in Greece to present the process of trail development as an alternative to plastic in the construction of walking trails in peatland.

In taking his new role at Coillte, we are excited to see the scale of work and change that Bryan will bring!

Voluntarily, Bryan was one of the founders of NorthWest Canoe Club, and is still an active and contributing member. NorthWest Canoe Club won the Social Inclusion Award at the Love Where You Live Awards.

Frank McMahon, integral member of the Croagh Patrick Path Team

Frank McMahon, hailing from Limerick, is an integral member of the Croagh Patrick Path Team, a dedicated group working tirelessly to restore the mountain through the thoughtful development of a path. However, Frank’s passion and commitment to the mountains truly sets him apart.

Widely recognised as one of the most positive individuals on the hills, Frank’s unwavering dedication to giving back to these natural landscapes is truly exceptional. His involvement extends beyond his work on Croagh Patrick as he has played a crucial role in the establishment and development of the Mountain Meitheal network across Ireland.

During his time in Munster, Frank laid the foundation for the South East Branch, and now, residing in Connacht, he has taken on the responsibility of founding the North-West branch. Throughout the week, Frank devotes his time to the meticulous work of building sustainable and eco-conscious paths.

In addition to his professional endeavours, Frank generously volunteers his time to lead groups of volunteers with the Mountain Meitheal organization. Drawing on his extensive decades-long experience in the mountains, he imparts valuable knowledge and skills, contributing to the preservation and enhancement of outdoor recreation.

Frank is not only an active hillwalker but also a longstanding member of the Limerick Climbing Club, embodying a profound love for the outdoors and a positive outlook.

Simon Stewart, founder of mountainviews.ie

Simon Stewart, an avid hiker since the 1970s, is a legendary figure in the hiking community. Among the few who completed the Arderins list of 408 Irish hills, he’s logged over 40 treks on ranges like the Maumturks. Now in his mid-70s, Simon remains active both individually and as a club member.

Retired from software development, Simon founded MountainViews.ie in 2002, a comprehensive website providing up-to-date information on Ireland’s hills. Beyond being a platform for peak baggers, it has become a vibrant community with thousands of summits logged monthly, along with extensive comments, GPS tracks, and photos, making it an invaluable resource for any exploratory outdoor enthusiasts.

Simon’s commitment extends to editing the monthly MountainViews newsletter for 17 years, a valuable resource for hillwalkers. His enduring passion lies in making the outdoors accessible, reflected in his dedication to Mountain Views.

Easkey Britton, surfer and water protection advocate

With the release of Ebb & Flow: How to Connect with the Power and Patterns of Water, the hugely inspirational surfer, academic and author, Easkey Britton, has written a rallying cry for water connection and protection in this country.

Easkey – from Rossnowlagh, County Donegal – has long been a surf pioneer, she was the first woman to paddle out at the big wave spot, Aileens, at the Cliffs of Moher, and the first woman to surf in Iran, where she encouraged girls and women to try the sport.

And now, having been immersed in academic research on our connection to the blue spaces and the psychologically restorative aspects of water, she’s written a book about what we can give back to water ourselves.

“I’m a huge promotor of nature connection and the benefits of blue health, but a lot of the research done in the western world looks at what water can do for us, rather than what we can do for water,” she says. “I wanted to look at water as its own entity, its own life force, rather than just turning it into another commodity for our consumption, enjoyment, recreation and health kicks.’

The book calls for a healing of the heart, mind, and body of our collective water planet, says Easkey. “I wanted to show how we are connected to all the waters of the Earth, wherever we are. Water is the source of all life, and I think there’s a responsibility and power in the stories that we tell about it.”