One of the State's busiest mountain rescue teams, Kerry Mountain Rescue, has warned walkers in advance of the Christmas walking season not to go into the hills alone.
In the past year three climbers who ventured into the Kerry mountains alone have died.
Spokesman Gerry Christie said yesterday: "Recent Christmas seasons have tragically demonstrated that it is an accident-prone period in the mountains."
A mobile phone was not a substitute for skill or ability, and it was not a shield against bad weather conditions, he said. Walkers should never assume they had mobile phone coverage.
Hillwalkers should also start early and plan to finish well before 5pm. Lack of navigational skill was "the biggest contributor to mishap", Mr Christie said.
People did not always take into account the lower temperatures and winds at altitude, he added.
"When frozen, the mountains are treacherously icy and extremely dangerous. Without specific mountaineering equipment and the ability to use it properly and effectively, don't even think of going to the high hills," he said.
Weather forecasts should always be watched before setting out and walkers should always let someone on the ground know which way they were going, what time they expected to return, and inform them if they returned a different way.
This would avoid unnecessary call-outs and anxiety, he said.