John Quinn Mountain Rescue Fund
Donation protected
On Saturday 12th May, John Quinn of Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Waterford City and Strasbourg, died in a tragic hiking accident in the Vosges mountains in Alsace, France. John was leading a group of eight hikers, on a 2 day hike, when he lost his footing and fell. The local mountain rescue services (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Montagne Hohrod) were immediately on the scene with helicopter assistance and recovered John within one hour of his fall.
In 2011, John moved to Strasbourg with his wife Mary where he worked for the Council of Europe. He was an adored member of the Irish community in Strasbourg and the wider expat community. He partook in the Ciorcal Comhrá (Irish language speaking group), writing groups, and of course hiking.
He enjoyed his life in Strasbourg but always looked forward to visits from his three children, Darragh, Fionnuala and Nicholas or a trip home to Mayo to partake in the Castlebar International Four Day Walks.
John’s walks were a weekly highlight for the expat community in Strasbourg. To give you an idea of the extent of John’s activity in the hiking community in Strasbourg, (these are John’s statistics), in 2017 alone, he organized 30 hikes, with group sizes ranging from 4 to 19, with an average distance of 16 km per hike and total distance for the year of 4408 person kilometres. John’s kindness, warm personality and inclusivity meant that the hiking group grew exponentially as word spread. For new arrivals to the city, the hiking group was an instant way to make new friends. His hiking email list grew to include 80 people and over 15 different nationalities.
John was always extremely safety conscious and took great care in the preparation of his hikes and their execution. He was ever mindful of the work that mountain rescue services do and took his responsibilities as group leader extremely seriously. He always informed the group well in advance of the hike details, location, weather forecast, essential equipment and checklist.
With this in mind, John’s family and friends have set up this page in order to raise money for the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Montagne Hohrod (French mountain rescue) who will buy new rescue equipment and organise a public awareness programme on hiking risks in the area. In addition, half of the proceeds will go to Mayo Mountain Rescue, John’s local mountain rescue service in Ireland.
Thank you.
In 2011, John moved to Strasbourg with his wife Mary where he worked for the Council of Europe. He was an adored member of the Irish community in Strasbourg and the wider expat community. He partook in the Ciorcal Comhrá (Irish language speaking group), writing groups, and of course hiking.
He enjoyed his life in Strasbourg but always looked forward to visits from his three children, Darragh, Fionnuala and Nicholas or a trip home to Mayo to partake in the Castlebar International Four Day Walks.
John’s walks were a weekly highlight for the expat community in Strasbourg. To give you an idea of the extent of John’s activity in the hiking community in Strasbourg, (these are John’s statistics), in 2017 alone, he organized 30 hikes, with group sizes ranging from 4 to 19, with an average distance of 16 km per hike and total distance for the year of 4408 person kilometres. John’s kindness, warm personality and inclusivity meant that the hiking group grew exponentially as word spread. For new arrivals to the city, the hiking group was an instant way to make new friends. His hiking email list grew to include 80 people and over 15 different nationalities.
John was always extremely safety conscious and took great care in the preparation of his hikes and their execution. He was ever mindful of the work that mountain rescue services do and took his responsibilities as group leader extremely seriously. He always informed the group well in advance of the hike details, location, weather forecast, essential equipment and checklist.
With this in mind, John’s family and friends have set up this page in order to raise money for the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Montagne Hohrod (French mountain rescue) who will buy new rescue equipment and organise a public awareness programme on hiking risks in the area. In addition, half of the proceeds will go to Mayo Mountain Rescue, John’s local mountain rescue service in Ireland.
Thank you.
Organizer
Linda Moloney
Organizer
Strasbourg
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