Tributes were paid yesterday to the former national president of the Irish Hotel Federation Mr Gerry O'Connor (48), who died on Monday after a fall while climbing in the Macgillycuddy Reeks in Co Kerry.
Hoteliers and business leaders in Cork paid tribute to Mr O'Connor, a native of Park, Kinnegad, Co Meath, who served as national president of the IHF in 1994/1995.
A former managing director of Blarney Park Hotel, Mr O'Connor lived in Cloghroe near Blarney in Co Cork, and is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, Brian (13), Dan (11), and James (7).
Mr O'Connor had been climbing on his own along Binnchaorach ridge between Carrauntuohil and Binnchaorach mountains when he fell several hundred feet into Brother O'Shea's Gully in the Macgillycuddy Reeks on Monday morning.
His fall was witnessed by three other climbers who raised the alarm and members of Kerry Mountain Rescue diverted from another search operation to recover his body, which was brought to Kerry General Hospital in Tralee for a post-mortem yesterday.
The chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, Mr John Power, said yesterday: "Gerry was both a friend and a very respected member of the federation - any major development in the industry over the past 20 years, Gerry was actively involved in it. He was a man of great integrity and great vision for the industry going forward but whatever loss he is to the industry, that pales into insignificance beside the loss to Elizabeth and the boys - their loss is just immense."
The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said he learned with great sadness of the "tragic and untimely death" of Mr O'Connor.
Meanwhile, the father of missing Swedish hillwalker Mr Olas Jansen arrived in Kerry yesterday as the search by Kerry Mountain Rescue was stood down. However, locals in Kilgarvan will carry out a search of Mangerton mountain at the weekend.
Mr Jansen and his wife, Marian, who were married on December 22nd, were staying with her mother, Ms Eileen O'Callaghan, in Kilgarvan, when Mr Jansen decided to go on a two-day hike.
When he failed to return last Thursday a major search operation was launched but despite four days of intensive searching, no trace was found of Mr Jansen.
