Wife of Irish mountain climber who died in Himalayas says 'it was his time to go' 

Noel and Lynne Hanna celebrating in Belfast Airport after successfully climbing Mt Everest together, back in 2009. Picture: Justin Kernoghan

The wife of the Irish mountaineer who died in the Himalayas on Monday has said there was “no drama — it was his time to go”.

Lynne Hanna said Noel had made himself soup after having just climbed one of the tallest mountains in the world and then fell asleep, never to wake again.

Posting on Facebook, she said she was in Kathmandu to bring her 'mountain man’s' body home. She arrived in the Nepalese capital on Wednesday.

When news of 56-year-old Noel Hanna's death emerged on Tuesday morning, it was not clear how Noel — whose climbing career included 10 summits of Mt Everest, two of which had been with Lynne — had died.

According to the Kathmandu Post, his body was found lying at Camp IV, about 1,000m from the summit of Mt Annapurna, in an area prone to avalanches.

Noel had reached the top of the 8,091m peak, which is one of the highest and most treacherous mountains in the world.

The bodyguard and fitness instructor was on his way down on Monday night when he died, becoming the latest fatality on a mountain where more than 72 have died so far.

Lynne, who is also an accomplished climber, said on Facebook: “I have arrived in Kathmandu to bring Noel home. He passed away at Camp 4 on Annapurna after a successful summit.

He returned to the tent, took some hot soup and fell asleep, never to awaken again.

There was, she continued, “no drama, no big story”.

She added: “It was his time to go and he died in the Himalayas — what better place for my Mountain Man.

“Sleep well Noel.” 

Thaneswar Guragai, manager of Seven Summit Treks in Nepal, said that a colleague of his had gone to Camp IV on Tuesday morning and tried to wake him up.

“He tried to wake him up but he found him dead,” he told the Irish Examiner.

“It wasn’t like a lack of oxygen or anything, or that he fell down. He was sleeping well and the following morning when (they) tried to wake him up, he was dead.

“He died in a sleeping bag in Camp IV on Annapurna.” 

Thaneswar, who brought Lynne and Noel’s brother to the hospital where his body was, said he had known Noel for “years”.

He was a wonderful person. He was a truly great climber. He was always in the front to help people. He would help anybody who might have been in trouble going up or down any of the various peaks he was on over all the years he was climbing.

“I don’t think we will ever find a climber like Noel in the future.

“He was a one-in-a-million climber.”

Noel was well aware of the risks he knew he was taking.

Climber Noel Hanna. Picture: noelhanna.com

“You know when you go away there is a chance you’re not coming back,” he once told a Belfast Telegraph reporter.

"The only thing we are sure of is dying.

“Ever since I was young, I’ve always felt that since the day you are born, there’s a nick in the calendar when you are going to die.

“And should you live life to the extreme, or should you not go out the door, lightning will strike the house and you will get killed in the house, and that’s been my motto for living life to the full.”

He served as a police officer in the North for 15 years until 2002.

During one of Bill Clinton’s presidential visits to Northern Ireland in the 1990s, he was assigned as one of his close protection officers.

Although Noel and Lynne did not have children, the couple both shared a passion for their three German Shepherd dogs Babu, Ruskie and Buddha.