THE FAMILY and friends of a young trainee teacher who died while on a hiking holiday in Central America have expressed their heartache at his death.
Michael McLean (26) from Fruithill Park in west Belfast died after he fell while visiting a volcano in Nicaragua. He was on holidays with his younger brother, Conor, at the time.
He suffered a fatal head injury on Sunday after what at first appeared to be a relatively minor accident. He recovered consciousness for a while but then died with his brother at his side.
Another brother and a sister were yesterday travelling to Nicaragua to join Conor and to bring Michael’s body home. His mother, Marie, said yesterday that Michael was a “much loved son, brother, uncle and friend to many”.
“He was a very popular figure and will be sadly missed by a huge number of people. The circumstances of his death overseas are difficult for the family,” she added.
“We hope to have his body home as quickly as possible and in the meantime we would respectfully ask for privacy,” added Ms McLean.
Mr McLean was a coach and member of St Agnes’s GAA club in Andersonstown in west Belfast. He recently graduated from university in Liverpool and planned to teach geography.
Club colleagues and young people with whom he had trained were distressed yesterday by the news.
Club chairman Frankie Caldwell said Mr McLean was a “gentleman” who was dedicated to playing and coaching young members. He added, “He was much loved by all our members and among his peers his personality shone like a great beacon. We are heartbroken at the loss of young Michael and say to all our young members, if you are looking for a role model, look no further than Michael McLean.”
