Family’s anguish at son’s death

Every parent’s nightmare became reality for Hugh and Ena Kennedy of Rockfield, Athenry on the night of August 30 when a knock on the door heralded the terrible news that their only son, John, had died tragically while climbing one of Scotland’s highest mountains, the 3,090 feet (945 metres) Am Bodach.

The 25 year old brother of Róisin had gone on a climb with three friends on August 29. Am Bodach is a sharp peak formed by three steep and rocky faces in Glen Nevis, just south of Scotland’s highest peak, Ben Nevis. The eastern face holds patches of snow well into summer.

Conditions were not good and with darkness closing in early because of a thick mist, the climbers became separated. Having decided to start his descent, John slipped and fell into a ravine.

After his friends had reported him missing, members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team searched for four hours in darkness until 3.30am on Thursday before seven members resumed the hunt at 8am.

In a momentous recovery operation, his body was found at 11am; the rescuers having abseiled several times to locate, and then get John’s body off the mountain.

The Inverness-based Coastguard S&R helicopter also joined the hunt in the early hours with the Prestwick-based crew continuing in the morning.

Glencoe Mountain Rescue team-leader Brian Bathurst said it appeared the hiker had been unlucky after making the decision to turn back because he felt he could not go on.

“He was with three companions and nearing the summit when he decided to turn back because he was feeling tired,” he said.

“The visibility was coming and going and he may have lost his way. The ground was also exceptionally slippery. We located him at the bed of a steep gully. He had fallen about 100 metres (328 ft).

“To recover him required a huge physical effort and was a technical exercise with multiple abseils. It was a huge effort from the guys. It was quite difficult terrain too,” Mr Bathurst added.

John was born in Perth, Australia where his parents were working.

But when he was seven years of age, the family came back to Rockfield, his father’s birthplace and settled there. John went to Coldwood National School and later to Athenry’s Presentation School.

His great love was football, but especially soccer and his beloved Liverpool F.C. He played Australian Rules as a child and soccer and Gaelic football when his family settled in Ireland.

He was a free spirit and in his travels he had worked Italy, Spain, England and Scotland and had intended spending some time in Germany when the accident occurred. He had booked his ticket to fly there on the day after he died.

John was buried in Willmount Cemetery, only a short walk from his home.

Canon Brendan Kilcoyne, P.P. who celebrated the funeral mass in Athenry church spoke eloquently about John’s short life and encouraged his family and friends not to despair but to have hope for the future.

His Italian girlfriend Chiara and the Castelli family travelled from Milan to say their goodbyes.

There was a poignant moment as the coffin was carried from the church when the choir and congregation joined in the Liverpool FC anthem, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.