The Marine Casualty Investigation Board is to carry out an investigation into the death of a man who drowned off west Cork yesterday after almost making it ashore following the sinking of his fishing boat.
Gerard O'Driscoll, (48), a father of two from Castletownbere, drowned yesterday morning after his 5.5m (18ft) fibreglass inshore fishing boat was swamped in rough seas just off Pulleen Harbour, 6.5km (four miles) west of Castletownbere at about 8am.
Mr O'Driscoll and William Power (28), also from Castletownbere, were thrown into the water but they managed to cling to a lifebuoy for over an hour and both men, who were wearing life jackets, managed to make it to the shoreline.
Mr Power managed to clamber on to some rocks but the heavy swell, which at times hit heights of three metres, prevented Mr O'Driscoll from getting on to the rocks. He was hit by a strong wave which pulled him back out to sea.
Mr Power managed to climb some steep cliffs to the Dzogchen Beara Buddhist Retreat Centre where he raised the alarm. Castletownbere lifeboat and the Castletownbere Cliff and Coastal Rescue search teams responded immediately.
Castletownbere lifeboat was launched under cox Michael Martin-Sullivan. It found Mr O'Driscoll's body not far from Pulleen Harbour at about 11.15am. Mr O'Driscoll's body was brought to Castletownbere Hospital then transferred to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem today.
Mr O'Driscoll's death is the third drowning in west Cork in the space of three weeks and follows the deaths of businessman Peter O'Keeffe (37) from Ovens and student Jonathan Herlihy (22) from Glanmire at Owenahincha Strand near Clonakilty.
Mr O'Keeffe and Mr Herlihy were swept out to sea on September 3rd after they had gone to the assistance of Cliona Murphy and Lee Cooley, who had got into difficulty while swimming.
