Meath man dies following Croagh Patrick climb

Meath man dies following Croagh Patrick climb


Edwin McGreal

A FORTY-NINE year old Meath man died on Saturday afternoon after climbing Croagh Patrick.
Joseph Reilly of Carlanstown, Kells, took ill after climbing the mountain with members of his family and despite being airlifted to Mayo General Hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.
He took ill prior to the midday Mass at the top of the ‘Reek’. The man’s brother and other members of his family were present when he became ill from what is believed to be a heart attack. Volunteers, including a local nurse, rushed to the man’s aid and administered CPR for over an hour until the Irish Costal Rescue helicopter arrived from Sligo, and airlifted him to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.
The helicopter crew fought strong winds and low cloud-cover for about ten minutes, before landing on the Reek’s rocky summit. Earlier, two crew members were lowered by winch on to the rough terrain, and then the special stretcher was passed down to them. Locals kept the crowd at a safe distance from the helicopter during the mission.