A member of the Sligo Leitrim Mountain Rescue Team has died in a fall on Ben Bulben.
Octavius (Ocky) Job, who was in his 40s, was hiking with a friend, also an experienced climber and volunteer with the local mountain rescue team, when he fell while climbing a gully above the Ben Bulben Forest Walk.
The father of three, who colleagues said had been involved in many rescue operations in the same area, sustained a serious head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene.
There was an outpouring of sympathy in Sligo for Mr Job’s children, who lost their mother less than three months ago. The family live at Carney, near Sligo. Vanessa Job, who died in April after a long illness, had worked in the Hawks Well theatre in Sligo and was well-known in the local arts scene.
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The alarm was raised at 10pm on Tuesday night, and over the next three hours, 15 of Mr Job’s fellow rescue team volunteers were involved in the recovery operation, along with paramedics from the National Ambulance Service, gardaí and the Strandhill-based Irish Coast Guard Helicopter, Rescue 118.
[ Search for man (22) missing from Co Sligo stood down after body recoveredOpens in new window ]
Henry Doherty, spokesman for the mountain rescue team, said a helicopter rescue could not be attempted due to the location and prevailing winds, but extra illumination was provided by the helicopter as the light began to fade.
The climber was stretchered off the mountain by his colleagues amid the difficult conditions of steep terrain and deteriorating weather.
“Despite the worsening conditions there was a concerted effort by all team members to bring our friend home,” said Mr Doherty, who paid tribute to Mr Job’s dedication as a volunteer.
“As a team we are all devastated at the loss of our friend and colleague. For almost a decade he was a dedicated member of the team, coming to assist those in need. He was compassionate, professional, friendly, and always had a big smile wherever you would meet him,” he added.
Local Sinn Féin county councillor Thomas Healy, who also knew British-born Mr Job, said his death was a huge blow for the community and especially for his family.
“I think everyone who ever met Ocky would have known him as a true gentleman, warm and personable, yet truly professional in his approach to mountain rescue”, he said.
[ Man in his 20s dies while climbing Sligo mountainOpens in new window ]
Mr Job is survived by his three children and a grandchild.
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