Sean Rothery, who died last September aged 96, was the last survivor of that small group of outstanding young men who, in the early 1950s, launched Irish mountaineering into an unprecedented period of development in rock-climbing and alpinism. As members of the recently founded IMC, Sean and his friends climbed at a previously unattained level on crags all over Ireland and brought Irish alpinism to a new pitch

Sean’s achievements tend to be overlooked beside those of his friends Peter Kenny and Frank Winder but his long list of rock-climbing first ascents over the years include a number of high-class routes in Glendalough; Forest Rhapsody, Facilis Descensus, Scimitar and Spillikin Ridge (second party), and in Donegal; Sinn Fein in Glenveagh, Firbolg and Toraigh (second party) at Lough Barra, and Rafiki in the Poisoned Glen.

 He climbed in Austria and then, in 1953, was one of a group of strong Irish climbers who climbed hard routes in the Chamonix Aiguilles. Some of their doings are described in Harold Drasdo’s The Ordinary Route. Sadly, the two friends Sean regarded as his mentors met their deaths in that unforgiving French arena; Fred Maguire in 1952, André Kopczinski in1954.  

Sean and his bride of three months, Nuala, went to Uganda in 1956 where he worked in an architectural firm until 1959. In 1957, in difficult snow conditions, he climbed four peaks in the Ruwenzori (the Mountains of the Moon) on the Uganda/Zaire border. Back home he was soon in the thick of things, leading Kenny and Winder up Spearhead in Luggala shortly after its first ascent. Sean was helpful, friendly and encouraging to aspiring young climbers.

 In 1950, he had cycled from London to Rome and back. Much later, in 1994, he completed a walk of 2,300kmsfrom the North Sea to the Mediterranean, well described in his book A Long Walk South.

His Alpine career ended abruptly in July 1957 when his femur was smashed by a large rock dislodged by another climber on a notoriously loose section of the Rotgrat ridge of the Alphubel near Zermatt. His agony, his dramatic rescue and subsequent long recovery are well described in a Long Walk South. His determination saw him back in Zermatt six years later on a Tiglin course during which he managed ascents of the Wellenkuppe, some minor peaks and the Breithorn. Led by Robbie Fenlon, and accompanied by Peter Shortt, Sean reached the summit of Mont Blanc when he was 73 years old. With Nuala and others he trekked in the Everest region in the following year.

As a young man, he worked for Desmond Fitzgerald, the architect of the much-praised Dublin Airport terminal building and was then hired by Michael Scott the leading architect of that time.  His subsequent career in architecture is hardly of relevance to mountaineers but his enthusiasm for Irish vernacular buildings and for the preservation of traditional shop-fronts is worthy of mention. He was responsible for the newer St. Michael’s Church in Dun Laoghaire.

He was a pioneer of Irish Orienteering and competed into his late eighties. Nuala and Sean completed treks in New Zealand where their daughter lives. Following Nuala’s death in 2013 he found some solace with visiting friends and at the local Blue Lamp pub where he enjoyed a monthly banter.

Sincere condolences to his daughter Finn, his sons Eoin and Colm and to his extended family. 

Paddy O’Leary