ALMOST half a century has passed since a team of brave mountain rescue volunteers battled with highly dangerous conditions to locate a climber in difficulty, on the eastern face of Carrauntoohil.
That epic all-night rescue operation in 1967 was one of the most notable first call-outs undertaken by the newly formed Kerry Mountain Rescue Team and it resulted in the safe return of avid mountaineer Bill Collins after whom Collins’ Gully is named.
Bill and his climbing partner, Con Horgan, were about 150 meters from the summit when he slipped and became wedged in rocks below. He sustained nasty head injuries as well as a compound fracture of the right leg and right arm. Con Horgan heroically faced the dangerous descent and raised the alarm at Beaufort Garda Station at 7.30pm.
The rescue team, enduring horrendous conditions of torrential rain and gale force winds, continuing to work for eight hours to bring the stretcher with the injured Bill Collins to the foot of Carrauntoohil and they carried him for a further three hours to meet the ambulance, before he was removed to hospital.
Picture: Valerie O’Sullivan
The brave rescuers had spent a total of 19 hours on the mountain, without food or sleep.
As the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team celebrated its golden jubilee at the weekend, two of the first people to join them in the celebration were Bill Collins and his climbing partner of 49 years ago Con Horgan.
Bill (far right) and Con (second from right) are pictured here by Valerie O’Sullivan with two of the original rescue team, retired Garda John O’Sullivan (second left and Eric Brick (left).
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