Tributes have been paid to a popular Co Down mountain climber who died on Sunday while hiking on Snowdon mountain in Wales.
Adrian McAnarney from Katesbridge is believed to have passed away following the accident in the Snowdonia national park area.
Friends paying tribute to Mr McAnarney said he had died “doing what he loved”.
At more than 3,000 feet tall, Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and attracts thousands of tourists each year.
A passionate hiker, he had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2023 and is believed to have been planning an attempt to scale Mount Everest next year.
The Kilimanjaro climb Mr McAnarney completed three years ago alongside a group of friends had raised more than £50,000, which was donated to the Southern Area Hospice.
He had been one of the authors of a book titled ‘Memories from the Mountain’ which was penned alongside a group of fellow hikers of the highest peak in Africa.
He was a regular hiker in the nearby Mourne Mountains.
Fellow Kilimanjaro hiker Emma Mullen described him as a “gentleman”.
“A most passionate man about mountains and hiking you could ever meet,” a post on social media said.
“He will be sadly missed by the hiking community far and wide.”
A family notice published on Monday said that Mr McAnarney had died “tragically as a result of an accident in Wales”.
The notice said he will be “sadly missed and lovingly remembered” by his wife Monica, sons Charlie and Jack and extended family.