River searches for three missing men resume

Searches will resume this morning for three men who are feared drowned in three separate incidents.

In Co Clare, searches of the river Fergus for Dermot Molloy (21), Cahercalla Estate, Ennis, have been unsuccessful. He fell from a bridge in the town in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The other two missing men fell into rivers at Cahir, Co Tipperary, and in Longford town.

Ennis mayor Tommy Brennan said the Fergus was very high at the moment. He hoped the young man had not been swept out to sea, because it was only three kilometres to the mouth of the Shannon.

Yesterday, staff in Ennis national school, where Mr Molloy had been a pupil, were saddened by the incident. Local teacher and councillor Tom Glynn described Mr Molloy as a "nice, quiet boy from a good Ennis family".

Mr Glynn said he worked in the local garage and had an interest in cars. He said Mr Molloy had been with his sister, Deirdre, on Saturday night.

A local security man, Pa Harding, had tried unsuccessfully to rescue Mr Molloy from the river early on Sunday morning.

In Cahir, Co Tipperary, a second day of searches by the divers from the Garda Water Unit in the river Suir failed to locate a man in his 40s. It is believed the man fell from a bridge in the town on Saturday night.

The man, whom gardaí were not naming last night, is understood to be a plumber from a large family who got married in the last couple of years. Cllr Seanie Lonergan described the man as hardworking and said he was from the village of Ballylooby, about five kilometres from Cahir.

He said the river was as high as he had ever seen it and it was flowing very fast through the centre of the town.

In Longford, a second day of searches in the river Camlin for a man in his 80s are expected to begin today. He was last seen walking on the river bank at Walter Street in Longford town on Saturday.

Cllr Séamus Butler said the river was as high as it gets and the flood plain to the west of the town was flooded. No trace of the man was found.

The search is now focused on the river and flooded fields two miles away at Lisbrack. The Camlin has recently burst its banks in a number of places after heavy rains and hundreds of acres of farmland are under water. The Camlin is a tributary of the river Shannon.

Divers from Lough Ree and Longford sub-aqua clubs have been taking part in the search.