Joss Lynam

Joss Lynam (born as James Perry O’Flaherty Lynam; 29 June 1924 – 9 January 2011) was an Irish civil engineer who was known as a mountaineer, hillwalker, orienteer, writer and sports administrator. He was one of Ireland's most influential figures in outdoor activities.

Early life Lynam was born in London to Irish parents Edward and Martha (née Perry). Lynam and his older sister Biddy were both raised in London, where his father worked as curator of maps in the British Museum. This is where Lynam was first introduced to cartography. The family would frequently return to the West coast of Ireland for holidays. Here, Lynam found his love for mountaineering, and climbed his first mountain - Knocknarea, County Sligo - with his aunt. Lynam returned to the UK in 1947, and the following year he moved to Dublin and enrolled in Trinity College Dublin to study engineering. He graduated in 1951.

Biography Lynam was a civil engineer by profession but devoted most of his life to mountaineering. He climbed extensively in Ireland, Britain, the Alps and in India. He was leader, or deputy leader, of expeditions to Greenland, the Andes, Kashmir, Tien Shan, Garhwal, Tibet and India, including the 1987 expedition to Changtse,

He promoted access and developing waymarked trails. He was involved in the creation and administration of the Federation of Mountaineering Clubs of Ireland (now Mountaineering Ireland), the Association for Adventure Sports, Bord Oiliúint Sléibhte (Irish Mountain Training Board), Tiglin (National Outdoor Training Centre [now defunct]), Outdoor Education Ireland, and Cospóir (now the Irish Sports Council) and the National Waymarked Ways Advisory Committee.

He was a founder member of the Irish Mountaineering Club, IMC, serving as president from 1982 to 1984. and he was also a founder member of both the Irish Orienteers and Three Rock Orienteering Club. He was president of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme's expeditions commission in the 1990s.

He wrote and edited guide books to walking and climbing in Ireland. He helped create and was editor of The Mountain Log (the journal of Mountaineering Ireland).

Family life Lynam met his future wife, Nora Gorevan, when she joined the IMC, the mountaineering club founded by Joss and Bill Perrott in 1948. The couple married on his graduation in 1951. Nora was among the first women to join this club. They had two daughters and a son.

Lynam had completed major expeditions such as the Alps and Mount Kolahoi before commencing his engineering career. However, he described his mountaineering skills as self-taught and is unsure of how he survived. Lynam's funeral was held in the Church of St. Therésè, Mount Merrion, Dublin. Every December the Lynam Lecture is delivered by leading national and international mountaineers and discusses the development and future of mountaineering in Ireland. He was a founding member of the Irish Mountaineering Club in 1948. Lynam had a significant impact on mountaineering through this club with Bill Perrot as he ensured the club was of a mixed group and allowed for anyone to join, which was somewhat unorthodox at this time as many English and international clubs were male only. and also represented Ireland in a special council meeting within the union.

Dawson Stelfox, the first Irishman to conquer Everest described him as "The voice of Irish mountaineering on the international stage".

Lynam's books includeIrish Peaks (1982), and Leisure Walks Near Dublin (2004). His legacy includes handwritten and edited books, one especially being Best Irish Walks, which was first published in 1994, and known as the most useful guide available. He collaborated with cartographers Justin May and Tim Robinson to create the hillwalking guide The mountains of Connemara (1988). Lynam also edited Irish Mountain Log for over 25 years and later made some contributions to the journal.

Lynam's name is seen as historic in mountaineering as his name and list of peaks are preserved in an authoritative list of Irish summits over 600 m, and are known as Vandeleur-Lynams because of Lynam's issue of the first version of Irish mountains over 2,000 feet in 1952. His legacy continues with quotes in many publications, such as the author of A guide to Ireland’s mountain summits, regarding Lynam as a "...major authority in Irish hillwalking and his views will continue to be important for many years", published in 2013.