Gardaí and locals search for missing man in Ballybunion

Donal Kennedy (33) was on a night out with his friends when he disappeared on Saturday

Donal Kennedy has epilepsy and there are fears that he may have hit his head somewhere on Saturday night

An air and sea search has begun for a man who went missing on Saturday night in the seaside town of Ballybunion, Co Kerry.

Donal Kennedy (33) from Caherdavin in Limerick city was on a night out with his friends when he disappeared.

Mr Kennedy’s disappearance is completely out of character, said his friend Timmy Lynch who was with him on Saturday night.

“Donal is one of the happiest guys you could meet. He has a girlfriend and a three-year-old,” he said.

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“He is an absolute gent, one of the nicest guys you could meet. He was just back from a holiday.”

Mr Kennedy has epilepsy and there are fears that he may have hit his head somewhere on Saturday night.

He bought a bag of chips on Saturday night and was last spotted on CCTV passing by McMunn’s pub in Ballybunion on his way back to the apartment where he and his friends were staying.

His friends believe he may have taken a wrong turn and went on a slipway which takes him towards the beach. However, the tide was out at that time of day and he is unlikely to have walked into the sea, they believe.

Gardaí and locals have been searching the town for Mr Kennedy. His friends have asked for a drone and sniffer dogs to be deployed in the search.

He is described as being approximately 6ft tall, with a slim build, dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a long-sleeved white top when he was last seen.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times