Kilkenny’s Vicky not well enough to take part in Climb with Charlie Bird

Hero Kilkenny’s cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan will not be able to take part in the journey to Croagh Patrick for the charity Climb with Charlie Bird next month.

The Mooncoin mother-of-two took to social media to say she’s endured a difficult few weeks with radiotherapy and has been very unwell as a result.

Earlier this week Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) honoured Vicky, a former member of its staff, with a research position in her name.

The ‘Vicky Phelan Chair in Equality and Access to Education’ aims to embed the values that the Cervical Check campaigner stands for with the values of the college.

Staff and students at the college were joined by members of her family and friends at the event, which was hosted to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Vicky’s lifelong friend David Brennan, who purchased her famous triptych portrait by artist Vincent Devine, also attended the event. Mr Devine spoke about the heartfelt story behind the creation of the portrait, which depicts various aspects of Vicky’s life