OUTSIDE POLITICS - Michael Reardon

I arrived back from holidays yesterday evening to learn the shocking news that Michael Reardon, the American free climber was missing, presumed dead, after being swept off a rock on Valentia Island in Kerry.

I went to Reardon's slide show in Dublin early this year (see my posting on that event here). Despite his outré and flamboyant image, he was actually quiet-spoken, self-deprecating even. My climbing friends in Kerry, especially Con Moriarty, had struck up very strong friendships with him, as had Damian from Outsider magazine.

Many great mountaineers died in simple accidents, including the great French climber Lionel Terray. Reardon climbed without any protection. One of the things that impressed me about him was that he said he never climbed up anything that he could not back-climb down. In the end, it was a force majeur (a freak wave that swept him out to sea) rather than a fall or a climbing error. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Postscript following Red Mum's comments:

His own site freesoloist has his blog entries from Ireland which make for very poignant reading. You need to go to the link for his pro blog for Climber magazine to find it. But here's a little taste of what he wrote:

Michael Reardon - Pro Blog 5

Blog #5 – Ireland, Pt. One

Chaos follows me everywhere. I arrived in Killarney, Ireland, barely rested from the ten-hour plane flight, and surprised my friend Con Moriarty by showing up two days early. Big smiles and bigger hugs came from everyone at his outdoor shop. It had been too long since I last shared a pint with everyone, and Con suggested I spend an evening camping in a beautiful location before crashing at his house. Reacquainting myself with the land of my ancestors, is something I cherish every chance I get.

Three hours later, I’m wandering the hills of the Macgillycuddy Reeks in a gentle breeze, following a babbling brook to a lake at the base of Corran Tuathail and reminded at how green everything is! A slight shower kicks in, making everything glow with the moistness and by 9:00 pm I’m at the campsite. Two hours later the sky darkens into night, allowing the gentle breeze and slight shower to change into one of the worst storms I’ve ever experienced. My tent, made for Patagonia winds, thrashes about and threatens to tumble me into the lake frothing the shoreline. Lambs bleating sound like women in pain in that darkness as they mix with the howl of the winds. I should be scared, but instead I smile at the memory of my father telling me of the Banshees that howl among the hills of Ireland. I now believe those stories more than I ever could as a child, and sleep soundly with the knowledge that not all things are myths.

I wake with the morning mists and spend the next hours finding my path out, that includes wading waist deep in the former babbling brook, with my backpack over my head. By the time I made it to Con’s house, and grabbed a much-needed shower, the weather completely changed with the sun streaming out between the thick clouds. The next two days were spent climbing at the Gap of Dunloe.

INSIDE POLITICS - Wexford

There were two parallel political discourses happening today. The first was the reaction to the appalling tragedy in Co Wexford with the appalling gaps revealed in the HSE and Garda reaction to the incident. In Leinster House today - nothwithstanding the upcoming election - there was little talk about anything else among those I met in the corridors and cafes. But in the chamber, it was kind of by-passed in favour of other things. It shouldn't have been.

The story is an achingly sad one. Visually impaired parents. The bizarre visit to the undertakers' office on Friday. The action and inactions of the weekend. The tragedy was compounded by what seems like serious errors of omissions by the HSE and the Gardai. It is true that even with every conceivable safety net in place, sometimes agencies just can't intervene when somebody is intent on doing something. But it is clear that there are very grave questions to be answered as to whether or not these four needless deaths could have been prevented.

The interview given on Morning Ireland by the local HSE healt manager was disastrously insensitive. Richard Downes, who handled the interview really well, gently chided her for seemingly answering all questions by reading from preprepared statements. (The interview is telling; listen to it here)

The HSE came across as uncaring, more interested in absolving itself from any blame. Given that a similar tragedy occurred (in not dissimilar circumstances) in the selfsame place two years ago, you would have expected that protocols were put in place for weekend cover.

But no, there was an excuse (which was really no more than guff) that an expert group was looking into this matter and is due to report next month (yes next month!), at which time systems and protocols will be examined and looked at etc. In other words, two years after another tragedy, we had hardly moved on, and not put in the proper systems to safeguard vulnerable families and children. And when will those new systems be in place? Years and years hence. Fat lot of good this will do to the Dunne family. Meanwhile, the HSE passed the buck on the gardai.

Ah, the guards. The Garda Siochana reaction was equally flabbergasting. Rather than dealing with the tragedy, they went on an elaborate ass-saving folly saying they were not going to be scapegoated (presumably by the HSE). No explanation for delays in contacting the HSE. No explanation as to how a squad car being driven around an estate (as opposed to making a physical call to the house) makes a whit of difference to anything.

The disgrace was that in the face of such an awful human tragedy the two state agencies with responsibility were more intent on indulging in a blame-shifting exercise. The two local priest who visited the family and made major efforts to help the Dunnes are the only individuals to emerge out of this mess with any credit.

But strangely, at the highest level, it had no real resonance. Sure it was discussed at Cabinet and an enquiry is being launched. But strangely, it didn't dominate Leaders Questions. Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte both chose to ask questions about Governance. Fair enough, but in the day that was in it, they seemed oddly unimportant, out of kilter. Only Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin of SF brought it up as his leader's question - and asked the relevant questions that have been asked all day.