The man whose body was recovered in the Mournes on Wednesday was Prof John Christopher Earnshaw (55), a physics lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast. His body was found by the Mourne Mountains Rescue Team in the Eagle Rocks area of Slieve Donard shortly after 5 p.m. Prof Earnshaw is believed to have fallen. His body was airlifted to the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick, where a post-mortem was carried out yesterday.
University colleagues raised the alarm when the professor, who leaves behind a grown-up son and daughter, did not turn up for work on Monday morning. An extensive search operation was launched after his car was found abandoned in Donard car park near Newcastle, Co Down.
Prof Earnshaw, who lived in Hillside Park, Belfast, was an experienced hill walker. The rescue team's co-ordinator, Mr Neil Powell, described his death as unfortunate. "The man had all the right equipment," he said. "He hadn't been foolhardy."