NAVAL DIVERS were due to resume a search at 9am today for two young men feared drowned after they ended up in the sea while fishing off Helvick Head in Co Waterford on Sunday afternoon.
Father of four, John O’Brien (36) and his friend, father of one, Pat Esmonde (36) had gone fishing for mackerel off Helvick Head on Sunday afternoon when they got into difficulty at about 5.20pm.
Fisherman Willie Kett, from Stradbally in Co Waterford, yesterday told how he had raised the alarm after he heard one of the men shouting for help while fishing near Carraignascamall Rock just over a mile west of Helvick Harbour.
Mr Kett said he had passed the two men in the dinghy at about 4.40pm as he was heading west to go pollock fishing and he turned around and was on his way back towards the western shoulder of Carraignascamall when he met the two men again.
“The dinghy was coming up against me and passed maybe within 80 to 100 yards and then veered out to sea and I kept pollock fishing and when I looked again there was nobody in the dinghy and one of the lads was in the water,” said Mr Kett.
“It was like he was doing a back stroke, I thought with the wonderful day and everything – I couldn’t see the second fellow and I thought he might be lying down in the dinghy or behind the dinghy.
“I cut the engine to pull in the pollock board and knocked her out of gear and just as the board was coming up, I heard your man shouting for help so I started the engine and headed out again – they were maybe 200 yards at this stage.
“I could see him in the water but when I got to within about 45 or 50 yards, he went down and when I reached where he had been, he was gone so I went over to check the boat and there was nobody in the boat.”
Mr Kett said he found two life jackets along with a fishing rod and he rang the local lifeboat on his mobile phone and stayed on the scene until the Helvick Head Lifeboat arrived on the scene and began searching.
Gardaí under Supt Tom O’Grady were able to identify Mr Esmonde through papers left in his camper van parked at Helvick Pier and late on Sunday gardaí notified both his family and Mr O’Brien’s family of the disappearance.
A native of Tipperary town, Mr Esmonde was living at Derrygrath near Cahir, while Mr O’Brien was originally from Golden, Co Tipperary but had been living at Fourmilewater in Co Waterford and their families travelled immediately to Helvick.
Yesterday both families maintained a sad vigil at the quayside at Helvick as they awaited news of their loved ones.
A team of nine Naval divers under Lieut Tony O’Regan carried out searches near where the men were last seen by Mr Kett.
Mr O’Brien’s uncle, Seán Dunphy, spoke of the shock and sadness felt by the family when they learned on Sunday night that Mr O’Brien was one of two men reported missing off Helvick Head.
“Devastated – that’s the only way to describe it – pure devastated . . . Just thinking of the four little kids, when they woke up this morning and he wasn’t there – I just don’t know how to describe it,” said Mr Dunphy.
Lorna Siggins writes: Minister of State for Fisheries Seán Connick has said he is well aware of the pain and suffering caused by accidents at sea.
Mr Connick has urged fishermen to avail of a new €3 million scheme to upgrade critical life-saving, firefighting and other safety equipment on board commercial fishing vessels.
The new programme, initiated by Mr Connick yesterday, will also apply to vessels registered for sea angling and marine tourism. It will be administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
**
A teenager was swept to his death by strong currents in a lake at the weekend.
Stuart Irwin (19), a trainee mechanic from Newtownbutler, Co Fermanagh, was swimming in Lough Erne on Sunday night when the incident happened.
Police Service of Northern Ireland divers recovered his body near the Castle Archdale Caravan Park amenity in Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh early yesterday morning.