Festivities turned to tragedy in Sligo on Christmas Eve when two brothers died in a drowning accident close to the town centre.
Cronin (19) and Sean (23) McCarrick, of Joe McDonald Drive, Cranmore Drive, Cranmore, Sligo, drowned in the Garavogue river as they returned from a night out shortly after 11.30 p.m.
It is believed that the younger brother had decided to go for a swim as he had taken off his outer clothing before entering the water. When he got into difficulties his brother tried to rescue him. A friend of the two also got into trouble when he tried to help them, but managed to swim ashore and raise the alarm. The men entered the water at Hughes Bridge, close to where the Garavogue meets the sea. There are strong currents in the area.
The men's bodies were recovered at about 4 a.m. on Christmas Day after a massive search involving gardai, the Rosses Point lifeboat and the Marine Rescue Service. An Air Corps helicopter also flew from Finner in Co Donegal to assist.
When found, the bodies lay on top of each other just 20 yards from where they had entered the water. A Garda spokesman said it was obvious that one brother had died trying to save the other.
The two men had lived in Cranmore with their younger sister and Portuguese-born mother. Their father, who works as a policeman in England, returned to Sligo when he heard of the tragedy.
Father Dominic Gilhooley, parish priest of St Anne's Parish, said the family was devastated. As a secondary school pupil Cronin had won an award in the Young Scientist of the Year competition and was gifted in the area of science, he said. He had also designed a smoke alarm for deaf people.
"The whole community is in shock," Father Gilhooley said.
The funerals of the brothers are in Sligo today.