Tributes to Barry Sudell

Recited by Jeremy Kirk

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It is impossible to relate the myriad achievements of Barry Sudell, at this brief moment in time, and quite frankly I wouldn’t do him the injustice of picking just one or two of his successes; there were so many and varied, and, Barry, being Barry, remained quietly modest, he really and truly achieved, and contributed so much – but then again, he was a superb Engineer.

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Sat here in the west of Ireland, realizing I’ll never again, enjoy Barry’s company deeply distresses me, in truth, my heart is broken.

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To think of Barry is impossible, without his best friend, Ceily standing there next to him, inseparable, they worked, and lived well together, a very fine partnership.

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I encountered Barry whilst serving as members of the Cave Diving Group central committee. We ‘clicked’, that was some forty years ago, from that moment, though living two hundred miles apart, we regularly visited, diving, caving and otherwise playing together, it naturally followed that Barry and Ceily were invited into the Pegasus, yet another display of their mutual inquisitiveness, which took them into a parallel world of industrial archaeology and the exploration of ancient mines.

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Barry was a quiet, indeed, private individual, a decent man, with a sense of honour, and superb sense of humour.

For my part, I suppose I really got to know Barry and Ceily assisting them obtain material sponsorship for the charity they helped create, supporting and refurbishing Romanian orphanages following the removal of Nicolae Ceaușescu; note within this congregation today are several who also went to Romania to support this ambitious program, the massive amount of organisation, locally and in Romania, is something both Barry and Ceily should be immensely proud of.

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The only time I witnessed Barry loose his grasp on reality was to have me as his best man, a privilege I’ve never forgot, which is surprising considering the protracted length of celebrations and volume of drink taken, I yet remember Barry frothing from both ears, as Ceily slowly lifted her wedding dress to expose the most gorgeous, stunning pair of green wellington boots, now that’s what I call love and romance.

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Writing this I feel I should perhaps mention three items,

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1). Though unrecognised, Barry played a significant part in the desperate circumstances that unfolded during the Sleets Gill cave Rescue in 1992.

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2). Among his cave diving discoveries he was immensely proud of discovering Notts 2, in partnership with Rick Stanton.

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Finally, his commitment to the CDG took up a lot of time, as did his successful tenure as secretary of the Northern section.

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I feel I should stop now, as I fear I’m taking up too much time, here, there is just too much to relate.

To the individual who is kindly reading this on my behalf, I thank you, for even if I were here today,

I’d be unable to speak.

Love, Light and Peace.

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Pat Cronin, Carnane, Doolin, County, Clare Ireland.

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