Tributes paid to “much-loved” Mountain Vets star

Tributes paid to “much-loved” Mountain Vets star

Tributes have been been paid to a much-loved County Down vet who found TV fame on the BBC series Mountain Vets.

Maurice King, who ran the Downe Veterinary Clinic in Downpatrick for many years alongside his son Cahir, died peacefully at at his home surrounded by his family on Wednesday.

The vet, originally from Burrenbridge just outside Castlewellan, came to the attention of TV viewers as a regular on BBC2’s Mountain Vets, bringing his work in his beloved Mournes to a wider audience.

A Facebook post from the practice said: “It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Maurice King. Not only was he a fantastic boss, a true gentleman, and a great vet but a loving friend to us all. He will be sorely missed.”
‘Wealth of knowledge’

Others described him as “a man of great compassion and kindness” while one poster recalled  how he struggled during Covid lockdown with the fact he couldn’t let owners be with their elderly pets when they were put to sleep.

Downpatrick Cats Protection, which Maurice was also heavily involved with, also paid a warm tribute to a “phenomenal man, whose expertise, wealth of knowledge and experience was and will remain, insurmountable”.

Maurice and his son Cahir (centre) with the rest of the Downe team Credit: Downe Veterinary Clinic

Writing on their Facebook page, coordinator Andree Brown  said: “From humble beginnings cycling to and from farms, sorting the MoD’s sniffer dogs flown in specially to be treated by the master himself, to the highly acclaimed surgeries of today and much, much more besides.

“He was without a shadow of doubt THE most amazing veterinarian, who only ever had animal welfare in his heart.

“A man of very few words who could command respect by just walking into a room, so great was his presence. A man, who in my humble opinion, could walk on water (metaphorically speaking).

“Of course, we all at Cats Protection pass on our deepest sympathies to Anne, Colin, Cahir and Maurice jnr as well as the wider family circle.

“We will never see the likes of this gentleman on earth again.”

Maurice is survived by his wife Anne, sons Colin, Cahir and Maurice, grandchildren Niall, Isla, Eleri and Gabriel, and brothers and sisters.

A Requiem Mass will be celebrated in St Patrick’s Church, Saul on Saturday, October 2 at 11am. Due to current regulations numbers in the church will be restricted the Mass can be viewed online via saulandballeeparish.com/webcam.

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