This article is from page 2 of the 2007-08-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE body of a male, believed to be the 19-year-old Dublin youth miss- ing since early yesterday morning at Lahinch, was recovered last night at the seaside resort.
Shortly after 7pm last night, dur- ing the course of an extensive shore- line search, local volunteers discov- ered the body in a rocky area at the southern end of Lahinch beach in close proximity to where the man is believed to have entered the water yesterday. Gardai were waiting last night to formally identify the man.
According to a Garda spokesman, the 19-year-old from Clontarf went for a swim at low tide at around 4.10
yesterday morning after a night out in Lahinch.
The spokesman said that the youth entered the water with two friends, but he failed to come out of the wa- ter. Sea conditions at the time were calm, with one to two foot waves in the bay.
The youth was staying with friends in Lahinch for the bank holiday weekend and the alarm was raised when he didn’t return, sparking the rescue effort involving the Shannon- based Coastguard helicopter and the Doolin and Kilkee coastguard units.
Early yesterday morning, the youth’s friends watched on from the promenade in Lahinch as two boats were launched to comb Lahinch bay
for the youth’s body, while members of the Doolin coastguard and local lifeguards conducted a_ shoreline search. The Garda spokesman said that the youth’s parents travelled down from Dublin to Lahinch to be NiO BLomNTOLs) Loe
At low-tide yesterday evening, the comprehensive’ shoreline search was launched, involving the youth’s friends, members of the coastguard units and local volunteers.
Earlier, Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Coastguard said, “I would be fairly confident that we will locate the body as the bay is an enclosed area. I would also like to thank eve- ryone involved in the search.”
Mr Shannon said that the brown
colour of the water, brought about by the Inagh river flowing into the sea, was hampering the recovery effort.
Also involved in the search were members of Lahinch Search and Res- cue team, the Civil Defence in Ennis, the Red Cross and local people.
Local member of Clare County Council, Martin Conway said, “It is a tragedy for the young man and his family.”
Yesterday’s drowning is the third to occur on Clare’s coastline this sum- nao
Aneast Clare man drowned at Span- ish Point in June, while a Moldovan man drowned at the notorious Blue Pool between Kilkee and Doonbeg on July 1.