Hannah Shields

Hannah Shields (born c. 1965) is an athlete best known for becoming the first woman from Northern Ireland to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 2007 (at age 41). She was also the first Irish woman to ski to the North magnetic pole in 2004, racing with Chris van Tulleken as part of the Polar Challenge. Parts of their journey were recorded by the BBC for their 'Challenge' series. She is considered to be one of Northern Ireland's top explorers. Hannah Shields was born in Kilrea and lives in Derry City.

Early life

Shields was born to parents Kevin (deceased) and Elizabeth (Betty) Shields, and grew up with six siblings. She is described being "quiet as a child" in an interview with Joanne Murphy for Tri Talking Sport in April 2021,

First expedition to Mount Everest Hannah Shields first attempted to scale the south side of Mount Everest in 2003 with the Irish Everest Expedition, The North Face of Mount Everest that Hannah successfully summited in 2007.

"It was an amazing feeling. Standing there I could see the curvature of the Earth. And I'm thinking, 'There's nobody on this earth above me'." ~ Hannah Shields

Personal life In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Shields commented on her health, discussing sleep, food, alternative medicine, and quality of life. She mentioned having poor health in her early 30's. At the age of 27, she suffered from multiple organ failure, and had a serious cycling accident in 2018 which resulted in severe head and neck injuries. In 2019, she was unable to continue her orthodontal work as a result of injuries from a cycling accident. She enjoys gardening in her free time.