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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