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A MEMORIAL SERVICE for Trinity professor Seamus Lawless, an Irishman who died while climbing Mount Everest, will be held on Monday.
The family called off the search for Lawless yesterday evening. This news came hours after it was confirmed that a second Irishman, Kevin Hynes, also died climbing the world’s highest peak.
Lawless went missing last Thursday while at an altitude of 8,300m. A fundraising page set up to help fund the search for him has surpassed €260,000.
In an update published on the fundraising page yesterday afternoon, the Lawless family said the extreme risks in conducting searches at that altitude have meant the search must be ceased.
The family has now confirmed that a memorial service celebrating Lawless’ life will be held in the Holy Redeemer Church in Bray, Co Wicklow on Monday at 11am.
People who wish to make donations are being asked to make them to Barretstown Children’s Charity.
“He will be sadly missed by his loving wife and best friend Pam, his special little girl Emma, adoring parents Betty and Jimmy, brother and sisters Ciarán, Deirdre, Sheila, Fidelma, Jemma and Eilis, large extended family and wide circle of friends,” his death notice reads.
Second Irish tragedy
Yesterday’s development came hours after it was confirmed that a second Irishman climbing Everest died yesterday morning.
Kevin Hynes (56) from Galway was climbing Everest for the second time and was described by climbing company 360 Expeditions as “one of the strongest and most experienced climbers on our team”.
“On the 22 May, Kevin reached Camp 3 at 8,300m. On the 23 May, while our summit climbers were heading higher, Kevin started his descent. He was accompanied by experienced Sherpa, Dawa Sangee, who himself has summited Everest south twice, Everest North and Makalu twice,” the group said in a post on Facebook.
Kevin passed away in his tent at the North Col at 7,000m in the early hours of this morning (Nepali time) of the 24 May. His wonderful wife, Bernadette and two children, Erin and James are comforted by all the communication that Kevin sent out from his expedition, letting them know that, “this was proving the most fun he had had on any one of his expeditions and the team was amazing and that he was loving being with Rolfe”.
There have been a number of other fatalities on the mountain in recent days, including American, Indian and British climbers.
Donald Lynn Cash (55) collapsed at the summit yesterday as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top.
British climber Robin Fisher (44) reached the summit on Saturday morning but collapsed when he had got just 150 metres back down the slope.
With reporting by Rónán Duffy and © – AFP 2019
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It’s so easy to criticize the man for attempting to climb Everest having a family at home however worth remembering far more experienced climbers were also lost on the mountain
Scott Fischer left a wife and two children and Rob Hall an expecting wife
One goes with the firm belief that they will return and regardless of all the preparations and equipment one can lose their life very easily in the hostile environment
The risk is high but for the many who died countless others made it down
There is a clear need to limit the numbers to prevent bottle necks that had Fischer and Hall come undone but it’s impossible to remove the high risk
A fall ,cerebral or pulmonary edema can happen to anyone .
@Means of escape: I still don’t think it justifies the risk.
@BreadBasketCase: you only live once. If his family were happy for him to go then that’s it. Everyone knows the risks, but life would be fairly poo if you don’t take risks. RIP to the man
They were never going to find him. Everyone knew that. There are hundreds of unrecovered bodies up there, and lots of them are visible. He’s gone over a ledge or steep ridge so won’t be seen again unless there’s a big ice melt in the next 100 years.
Is there a Gofundme page for the second Irish climber who died? Will the first Gofundme fund be used to bring him home to Galway or is it a private fund?
@Peter Farren: Worth contacting the Kevin Bell organisation
@Peter Farren: after they pay the search and rescue team the family said they will refund any unused money
Where does all that money go? How much of that goes directly to the sherpas and their families? Maybe, the light and hope of this tragic loss is that the sherpas lives can be made better?
I don’t think anyone should be criticizing anyone or anything here. Based on that logic we wouldn’t have any form of air transport or so many other things . We’d still be living like Adam & eve . Rip . But if over crowding is an issue it should be addressed
Tragic for the family. At least he died doing a courageous act. Perhaps the money raised now might be given to the charity he climbed for. Just a thought.
journalist deleting comments again. If you’re going to censor truthful comments maybe ye should just disable them.
@Jamie Mul: thanks for the link. Enjoyed the piece.
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