Laune Mountaineering
Club
ABOUT US
OUR CLUB
Laune MC established in 1966 is one of the oldest walking clubs in County Kerry. We are based in the Killorglin/Laune area. We are a small friendly club with an active membership and have walks every second Sunday (occasionally Saturday)
OUR MISSION
To enjoy days out on the beautiful hills
and mountains nearby. To have a bit of 'craic' on the mountains and afterwards over a drink or cuppa.
To discover mountains all over Ireland and liaise with other clubs on weekends away.
WHO CAN JOIN?
Anyone can join and we look forward to welcoming new members. Please check the calendar and information and guidelines first and then download our membership form if you would like to join us on the mountains. You are allowed 3 'test' walks to see if you like it.
Our History
The First 25 Years
The formation of the club in 1966 coincided with the foundation of the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team. For some 25 years the club and mountain rescue were almost synonymous. Members did valiant service on rescues and searches, in training and fundraising. This commitment got tangible expression in the construction in Killorglin of the first purpose-built rescue station in the country.
In order to be good Mountain Rescue team members, familiarity with the hills in the southwest was essential and weekly walks/climbs saw to that. Other areas were also explored and Easter Camps regularly took members to Connemara, the Comeraghs, the Galtees and Beara. A motoring trip to Austria was organised very early on. Club members were among the first batch of qualified Mountain Leaders in Ireland and there was a strong commitment to helping mountaineering nationally including providing the founding chairman of FMCI, now MCI (Mountaineering Council of Ireland).
Members helped with adventure training and were active in the early development of orienteering in the country. A visit to Tolleymore (Northern Ireland) led to the conception of what is now is the Cappanalea Outdoor Education Centre. The Club put up the deposit for the 55-acre site on which the centre stands. A number of National Adventure Meets were organised to promote the Cappanalea project and to introduce people from all over Ireland to the area and to sports such as canoeing, orienteering, hillwalking, rock climbing and surfing. The annual MacGillycuddy Reek's Climb, organised with the other Kerry clubs, also allowed walkers from throughout the country to sample high ridge climbing in controlled conditions, something that was needed before clubs acquired trained and experienced leaders.
In 1971 RTE interviewed the new Kerry Mountain Rescue Team including Sean O Suilleabháin our current Laune Mountaineering Club President
https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0310/773868-kerry-mountain-rescue/
