THE FISHING community of Passage East in Co Waterford was plunged into mourning yesterday following the death of a wellknown local fisherman whose body was recovered following a search operation.
The body of father-of-four, Paddy Mason was recovered at about 1pm yesterday, less than two hours after the alarm was raised when his lobster boat, the 28ft-long, Harbour Pride was spotted on rocks at Portally Cove some four miles west of Dunmore East.
Mr Mason was found in the sea midway between Dunmore East and Hook Head in Co Wexford following a search operation involving up to 20 vessels and an Irish Coast Guard helicopter.
Dunmore East lifeboat under cox Joey Murphy launched at 11.34am and proceeded to Portally Cove after receiving a report that Mr Mason’s boat had been seen there. They located it wedged on rocks on the western side of the cove with its engine still in gear.
The Coast Guard, which was co-ordinating the search operation, diverted its Sikorski helicopter to the scene where it located the vessel and, using infra- red detection equipment, confirmed no one was on board. Mr Murphy told how two lifeboat crew went across in a small inflatable to board the Harbour Pride where they found a notebook in the wheelhouse with co-ordinates indicating where Mr Mason had been setting lobster pots earlier that day after setting out alone from Dunmore East.
The search operation then focused on the eastern side of the harbour towards Hook Head where Mr Mason used to set his lobster pots.
Among the vessels which had joined in the search was the Fethard-on-Sea inshore lifeboat and helmsman Kevin Roche and his crew of Joey Murphy and Rory O’Connor were preparing to join in a search line when they spotted Mr Mason’s body in the water.
According to Declan Geoghegan of the Coast Guard, Mr Mason had been wearing a buoyancy aid which had kept him afloat. His body was picked up by the Fethard-on-Sea inshore boat at 1.05pm and transferred to the Dunmore East boat which brought him ashore.
Mr Mason’s body was brought to Waterford Regional Hospital where a postmortem will be held today. It is hoped the examination will reveal how he died, while an investigation has also been started by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.
Mr Mason is survived by his wife Margaret and four children, including his daughter Louise, who is married to RTÉ southeast correspondent Damian Tiernan.
“It’s a terribly tragedy. Paddy loved the sea and fished it all his life,” said one local.
“It’s a huge loss for his family, but if there is to be any consolation for them, it’s the fact that he was recovered. It’s not much, but at least it means they will have some closure.”