The body of a 42-year-old fisherman, missing in the river Barrow downstream of Carlow town since Monday afternoon, was recovered yesterday by Garda divers. The body of a woman was also recovered from the sea off Tramore yesterday.
Mr Thomas Butler, a landscape gardener from Mount Clare Court, Graiguecullen, Carlow, had gone fishing on the bank holiday afternoon accompanied by his partner and her two sons. At about 5 p.m. he decided to go for a swim at a point in the river known as Lanigan's Lock, but disappeared from view.
Gardaí at Tramore, Co Waterford are now seeking assistance in trying to identify the body of a woman taken from the sea at Tramore yesterday morning. She is described as 40 to 50 years of age, 5 feet 3 inches, and of slim build. She was wearing a striped, coloured round-neck T-shirt, black trousers, navy padded jacket and black shoes. She had a black purse which contained keys to a Nissan Micra. This car which has not been located is believed to be a silver 3-door automatic model. Anyone with information is asked to contact the gardaí at Tramore, telephone 051-391620.
Meanwhile, three children had a narrow escape in two separate incidents involving inflatable water toys off beaches in Co Kerry yesterday. Rescue services have warned that using inflatable toys when there are off-shore winds is highly dangerous.
In the first incident, at around 11.45 a.m., a nine-year-old boy in an inflatable ring was swept out to sea off Ladies' Beach in Ballybunion. A strong breeze was blowing out from the shore at the time and it swept the child out of sight quickly.
An onlooker swam after the child but was unable to keep up with him. Luckily, members of the Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue were on the beach at the time and launched their D-Class rescue boat, saving first the child and then his rescuer within minutes.
In the second incident, in the Castlegregory area of Tralee Bay at around 1.30 p.m., two children aged nine and 13 were picked up after strong winds swept them out from the beach on their inflatable toy boat.
Again an onlooker swam out after them, but the toy boat was being blown out too fast and he returned to call the Valentia Coast Guard. A general alert was called and two lifeboats from Fenit were tasked. A leisure boat picked up the two children, who were one mile offshore at the time. Mr Ger O'Donnell, secretary of the Fenit Lifeboat, said the children were lucky a passing boat was in the area at the time. The winds out from the shore were particularly strong yesterday.