A coroner warned in Killarney on Saturday of the dangers of mountaineering in winter, even for experienced climbers, after hearing evidence into three deaths on the Kerry mountains over the Christmas period.
A verdict of accidental death due to a fall from a height was returned by the jury in the inquests into the deaths of John Lucey (56), the former general secretary of PDFORRA, and Joan O'Leary (35), a programme development officer with Rehab in Cork. The two climbers died on their way down a steep, narrow gully while walking the Lough Duff horseshoe in the Black Valley area, south of Carrauntoohil, on the afternoon of January 6th last.
A similar verdict was returned in the case of Warren O'Brien (23), of Carraignafoy, Cobh, Co Cork, who died on Carrauntoohil, Ireland's highest mountain, on December 26th last after a fall of several hundred feet.
The Coroner, Dr Denis O'Donovan, sympathised with the families and paid tribute to the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team, members of which had gone to the scene of the three fatalities.
All the evidence suggested that the three people who died were experienced climbers, Dr O'Donovan said. "It seems painfully obvious that going up the (MacGillycuddy's) Reeks in winter is an extremely dangerous procedure, even for experienced people, and that is what has us here today."
John Lucey and Joan O'Leary were among a party of four who had set out at 11 a.m. to walk along the ridge several hundred feet above Lough Duff. Mr Lucey and Mr Patrick Doyle, of Killowen, Blarney, Co Cork, had travelled together from Blarney to meet up with Ms O'Leary and Mr Raymond Clancy at Daly's diner near Killarney.
Mr Doyle told the inquest that the four were wearing hill-walking gear when they set out and each was carrying a rucksack. The weather was fine at the time, there was clear vision and the ground was flat and in good condition for the most part, he said. However, by the time they reached the summit at 2 p.m., it had become foggy and visibility was down to 20 or 30 yards.
The party examined a map and decided to descend through a gully.
At 2.20 p.m. Mr Doyle received a knock to his shoulder and immediately fell to the ground, grabbing a rock. When he managed to compose himself, he found Raymond Clancy slumped against a rock with head injuries.
Mr Doyle ran down the hillside to Casey's farmhouse to call for help, arriving there at 3 p.m.
The gully leading down to Lough Duff was only 3 to 5 metres in width. Ten minutes after beginning the descent, Mr Clancy realised that John Lucey, who was behind him, had fallen and was tumbling towards him. "I turned towards him, but I can't say whether someone shouted or I saw him coming towards me. I didn't have enough time to get out of the way. He hit me and I also fell," Mr Clancy said in his statement.
John Lucey continued tumbling in Joan O'Leary's direction. "I believe the gully was too narrow for Joan to get out of the way quickly. John was falling fairly fast and I don't think Joan would even have seen him," Mr Clancy said.
In her medical evidence, Dr Margot Bolster, Assistant State Pathologist, said that John Lucey had suffered head, neck and chest trauma due to a fall from a height. Joan O'Leary had suffered head and neck trauma due to a fall from a height.