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Tribute to Michael Byrne 1962 - 2022

05 January 2023

Condolences to the friends and family of Michael Byrne, who worked with Mountaineering Ireland to produce many publications including the award-winning Irish Peaks book

Tribute to Michael Byrne 1962 - 2022

The Board and Staff of Mountaineering Ireland extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of Michael Byrne from Zest Creative who very sadly passed away on Christmas Eve following a short illness.

For the last 12 years Michael has been central to producing many of Mountaineering Ireland's publications - numerous annual reviews, three strategic plans, our Walking with Wildlife guides, the Happy Hiking leaflet (and its predecessor Walk Safely), he also did work for Get Ireland Walking and of course he was our key collaborator in the creation of the Irish Peaks book. Michael was the person who had the vision for a coffee-table sized guidebook, and he was instrumental in delivering Irish Peaks to such a high standard that it won the guidebook award in the Banff Mountain Book Competition 2021.

We are glad that Michael and his wife Deirdre were able to join us for Mountaineering Ireland’s Autumn Gathering in Wicklow last October. Along with Alan and Margaret Tees and Helen Lawless, Michael participated in a panel discussion about the production Irish Peaks, chaired by our CEO Murrough McDonagh. Michael showed his passion for the Irish Peaks project and communicated, in an entertaining way, the complexity and challenges of pulling a publication of that scale together under time pressure.

Thank you Michael, Rest In Peace.

Photo: The Irish Peaks team at Mountaineering Ireland's Autumn Gathering 2022, with Michael Byrne on left, Margaret Tees, Helen Lawless and Alan Tees.

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