On January 6, 1592, Irish patriots Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Art O'Neill, and his brother Henry Shane O'Neill escaped from English captivity in Dublin Castle. They ran for 62 kilometers to safety in the wild lands of the Wicklow Mountains. The winter conditions were brutal and Art O'Neill died while Hugh Roe O'Donnell lost his big toes due to frostbite.
To commemorate this heroic moment in Irish resistance to foreign rule, runners participate in the Art O'Neill Challenge. There are running, hybrid, and trekking categories. All participants strive to reach the summit of a mountain topped by Art's Cross--the spot it is thought to be the location that Art O'Neill was buried.
-via Frank McNally | Photo: History Ireland
