TV APPEARANCE: Micheál O'Shea, from Barraduff, Recruit Number 12 on 'Special Forces Ultimate Hell Week'.

By Sean Moriarty

The challenges were the most extreme of his life - but one Barraduff man proved that he’s tougher than most last night (Thursday) - on a new RTE show.

Micheál O'Shea(22), and 23 other civilians, featured on RTE’s ‘Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week’ after spending eight days in the Wicklow Mountains in March under the direction of the Irish Army Ranger Wing Special Forces Unit (ARW)- the Irish army’s equivalent of the British SAS.

There, he had to survive in the wild for eight days, on limited sleep and food supplies while carrying a 45lb rucksack on his back.

In this new series, the veil is lifted on the highly classified ARW selection process.

In what was the toughest, most demanding week of their lives the recruitswere pushed to their limits and subjected to the kinds of mental and physical abuse typically associated with extreme soldiers.

“They were eight gruelling days,” Micheál, who has just completed a masters business and accountancy training in the University of Limerick, said. “We were exposed to snow, rain, hail and sleet while surviving on limited sleep – two hours broken sleep at the time – with limited food supplies. We did a marathon each day while carrying a ruck sack.”

He added that they were cut off from the real world.

“It was gruelling and awesome all at the same time. I am a great believer in if you push yourself and find your limits it will help you grow.”

Other Kerry people who feature in the programme include Tralee Garda Mark Cushen and former Kerry ladies football captain Bernie Breen from Beaufort.