This article is from page 2 of the 2005-11-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE BROADFORD man whose body was found washed up on the shore at Doolin had just begun a new life in the home which he built with his fiancée.
31-year-old Mick Doran moved a cou- ple of weeks ago into the house which the couple had built on a site overlooking sce- nic Lough Doon, in Ballykelly, Broadford. Yesterday, saddened neighbours in Broad- ford offered prayers at a special evening Mass which local priest, Fr John Bane, said for the tragic man and his family.
Mick got engaged to his fiancee, Kit, last Christmas and together they had planned their new home in East Clare. His body was found washed up at Tra Leathan yesterday morning, one week after he and two friends from Tulla and Ennis went missing.
The body of Ennis man, Martin Grif- fin (24) was recovered off the same beach last Tuesday but the search for Joseph O’Callaghan (34) from Tulla continues.
All three had been socialising in Doolin the night before the tragedy, in which their jeep plunged off the cliff face.
A friend of the young carpenter described him as “a real character. He was a hoot – just larger than life. This is a terrible thing to have happened.”
Described as “‘an absolute master crafts- man,’ by his boss, John O’ Donovan, Mick was working on the restoration of Cool- reagh House at the East Clare Golf Club in Bodyke.
“He was a lovely fellah, as amiable a chap as you would meet,” said John. “He was a very hard worker and he is a huge loss to us in every sense – irreplaceable.”
Building work on the house and on a new golf village project at the club has stopped since the tragedy and will remain at a standstill for the rest of the week as a mark of respect. Many of the three men’s work colleagues joined the search parties combing the coast at Dollin in recent days. Residents of Tulla as well as friends and members of the O’Callaghan family also joined the search parties, as did people from Broadford.
Born in Waterford, which was his fa- ther’s native place, Mick lived for some time in England. His family moved back to his mother’s home town of Ennis after the death of his father at an early age.
He is survived by his fiancee, his mother, Anna , older brother Mark and sister, Ann- Marie. It is understood that the funeral will take place in Ennis.