The man who drowned off the coast of Donegal yesterday evening has been named as 62-year-old Charlie Boyle, the father of six-year-old Mary Boyle who vanished in Co Donegal in 1977.
No trace of Mary has ever been found. She is Ireland's longest-missing person.
Mr Boyle died in Letterkenny General Hospital at 8.10pm yesterday evening after he was taken from the sea at Owey Island, Co Donegal. He got into difficulty when he went fishing alone, according to gardaí.
Mary, from Kincasslagh, was visiting her grandparents near Ballyshannon when she disappeared on March 18th, 1977.
She was last seen following her uncle, Gerry Gallagher, across some boggy land as he returned a ladder to a neighbour. She turned back for her grandparents' house but never arrived.
Meanwhile, a 12-year-old girl from Bray drowned in Co Wicklow yesterday afternoon. The girl's body was found by a rescue team in the Upper Lake, Glendalough at 8.40pm.
Gardaí said the girl got into difficulty at about 4.15pm and a search-and-resuce operation started immediately. The body of the girl was taken to Loughlinstown Hospital for postmortem. The girl was on a trip with a youth group.
Elsewhere, a man (22) died in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin at 1am after his body was taken from the sea in Portrane, Co Dublin, at 12.30am. He had been swimming with friends when he got into difficulty.