UKC

Scottish climber Niall McNair recently made the third ground-up ascent of Requiem E8 6c at Dumbarton Rock, near Glasgow. Although not strictly newsworthy, Niall's story of grit and determination is worth sharing: his successful ascent was the result of a twenty-year dream and four years of trial and error.

To put Niall's commitment to the line into perspective and to celebrate his achievement, we interviewed some of the people who have witnessed his 'persistence of vision' - coincidentally the name of a classic 7a+ leading into Requiem - and his inspiring journey to latching the finishing hold, before speaking to the man himself...

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In reply to UKC Articles:

Didn't know Niall had done it. Great news. Massive congratulations. (to Iain too, obviously).

In reply to UKC Articles:

Great Article. Well done to Niall and Iain. It is a "King Line" indeed.

Did I see some cheeky crack glove action going on in those photos too? Excellent, I will use it as evidence of the general coolness of crack gloves in my upcoming article on them!

In reply to UKC Articles:

Yeah, I enjoyed it too. Natalie Berry's putting some excellent articles out for the site- well done. I remember being blown away by Dumby the first time I saw it, particularly that face. Nice to see Cubby getting a chance to explain his side of the story. I'd no idea of how he came to do the FA and what a line to leave his mark with! I'd be amazed and delighted if it was onsighted.

In reply to UKC Articles:
'Ned' is not an affectionate term

In reply to ericinbristol:

No, it is however often an accurate one!

In reply to Michael Gordon:
Agreed! Having grown up in Glasgow and been to Dumbarton numerous times as as child and adult, Neds can be frightening thugs. It's weird to see them romanticised in this piece.

In reply to ericinbristol:
There was a hint of sarcasm in the use of affectionate, which possibly worked better when I had '(Non-Educated Delinquent)' in parenthesis after neds. I removed it after I realised it's actually a backronym and isn't the nicest of terms to be using these days.

I would argue that the majority of neds - mostly kids - who were/are hanging out at Dumby weren't dangerous thugs. I also grew up in Glasgow and the people termed 'neds' at my school were some of the funniest and most down-to-earth people in our year. Some were uninterested academically and occasionally disruptive in class, but they were never causing issues with bullying other kids and were harmless. Any trouble seemed to happen outside of school or amongst themselves in petty fights. I'm not saying all neds aren't thuggish and dangerous, but I certainly learned not to judge kids in trackies and Mera Peaks too quickly!

The film below is a good example of the kids who hung around Dumby. As the narrator says, they share more in common with climbers than people might think - it's just that they likely haven't had the same start in life and opportunities. This is why Niall's work with Urban Uprising is so important.

youtube.com/watch?v=YVpioikyPKM& (kids are featured at 13:09)

In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:
I agree that most neds aren't dangerous thugs. Your statement in the piece that ned is a term of affection is plain wrong, as you accept in your response to me - that was my point. You say that there is a hint of sarcasm: I did not pick that up from the original. To the extent that you really were being sarcastic about ned being a term of affection I agree.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Hang on, I was down Dumby the other day there and a group of young guys f*cking trashed the place. Litter, broken glass and cans were being flung into the river and around the sport routes after being consumed. Around 30 cans of cider and 4 bottles of Buckfast.

90% of the time they are completely fine, however some do still live up to the name. If you're going to behave treat the place like that then the term non educated delinquent is highly accurate.

I take my bbq down there sometimes and have my dinner down there. I don't want to have to out up with that shit while Im doing that. Totally antisocial.

In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

As noted above, 'non-educated delinquent' is a backronym for the term 'ned' and an attempt to relate antisocial behaviour to level of education. I bet the Bullingdon Club create more damage on a night out though.

In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Worst I ever had was picking up a glass bottle, out of which poured musty liquified human shit. Felt totally 'invaded', as I hadnt expected it! Love the place to bits but my god the wildlife would take some beating.

On topic, massive respect Niall, sounds like Requiem was a total mission.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Aye the middle classes eh.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Great article.

Not 'strictly newsworthy'? What are the 'strict' rules regarding newsworthiness? I suggest they are amended, so we can read more like this.