The Lynam Lecture was inaugurated in 2011 in the memory of Joss Lynam, one of Ireland’s best-known mountaineers, in recognition of his enormous achievements in hillwalking, climbing and mountaineering in Ireland and overseas over some sixty years. During his lifetime, Joss initiated numerous developments in these areas of our sport in Ireland and was the inspiration for a number of generations of Irish mountaineers. 

Joss Lynam’s achievements include many mountaineering expeditions to the Greater Ranges, and an outstanding voluntary contribution to adventure sports in Ireland. Joss is known to many Irish and international walking enthusiasts for his many hillwalking guidebooks. He was the editor of the Irish Mountain Log for more than twenty years, and he continued as the Literary Editor of the Irish Mountain Log up to the time of his death. Since it was inaugurated, the Lynam Lecture has been delivered by leading national and international mountaineers.

This year’s Lynam Lecture 'Mountains and Wild Places - a personal reflection' will be given by Frank Nugent, Irish mountaineer, explorer and author. Frank knew Joss well.

Frank Nugent is an alpinist with many visits to the Alps and four expeditions to the Himalayas, he was the deputy leader of the first and successful Irish Everest Expedition (Stelfox 1993); joint leader of South Arís Antarctic Expedition 1997; sailed the Northwest Passage with Northabout in 2001; completed many first ascents during the Irish Lemon Mountains Expedition to Greenland in 2003. He has since climbed and trekked in the Alps, Andes, Iceland, Norway, East Greenland and Colorado and Wyoming in the USA.  A member and former chair (1997-2000) of MCI now Mountaineering Ireland and of The Alpine Club, he is author of Seek the Frozen Lands - Irish Polar Explorers 1740 –1922 and ‘In Search of Peaks, Passes & Glaciers – Irish Alpine Pioneers’ both published by the Collins Press, Cork. He is currently chair of the Irish Uplands Forum, a voluntary body that supports locally managed bottom-up sustainable and ecological development in the uplands.

Put the date in your diary. It promises to be a very interesting evening!