A 22-YEAR-OLD man drowned while swimming out to a small boat moored in the River Lee in Cork city centre early yesterday morning.
The tragedy happened at about 4am yesterday when the man, who was from Dublin but studying at St John’s College in Cork, attempted to swim from Pope’s Quay out to a small yellow punt moored in the centre of the north channel of the River Lee.
The young man was accompanied by a 20-year-old friend and they both tried to swim out to the boat, which was stationed some 20 to 30 metres out from the quay wall.
However, the dead man’s friend turned back and came ashore while the 22-year-old continued to the boat.
The boat had been moored in the river for the past month by a Christian group, who offer soup and sandwiches to those in need from a bus, which they park on Pope’s Quay.
The boat was used to spread the goup’s Christian message, bearing the logo “Jesus Heals All Hearts”.