The community of Castletownbere, west Cork has rallied around the family of a fisherman who died at sea in what was the second tragedy to hit the family in two years.
Moses Odonker (50s), was knocked unconscious and later died in a fatal incident on Tuesday morning. Mr Odonker’s son Joshua (2) died when he choked on a grape at the family home in Skibbereen on January 25th 2023.
The Ghanian born fisherman was working on the Castletownbere based trawler, The Boy Jason, when he was hit on the head and knocked unconscious by a failing rope around 7am on Tuesday morning.
The skipper and his four fellow crew members tried to resuscitate Mr Odonker, but without success and The Boy Jason, which had been on a 14 day fishing trip for prawn off the Porcupine Bank, some 200km off the west coast, set sail for home immediately.
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The boat arrived back in Castletownbere Harbour early on Wednesday morning and docked. Mr Odonker was pronounced dead by a local doctor and his body removed to Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem examination to establish the exact cause of death.
Niall Duffy of Lost At Sea Tragedies (L.A.S.T) said everyone in Castletownbere and the West Cork fishing community was deeply shocked at Mr Odonker’s sudden death as he was a popular member of the crew of The Boy Jason with whom he had fished for eight years.
“On behalf of the fishing community around the coast, I would like to extend our sympathies to Moses’s family and fellow crew member – he was on that boat eight years so he was well known and well-liked by everyone here and Castletown and West Cork.
“It’s a terrible tragedy for his wife, Philomena and daughter, Emmanuel given the loss of Joshua just two years ago- it really is beyond belief, but I’ve no doubt people will rally around and support them this time as they died when they lost Joshua.”
Speaking to The Irish Times following the death of Joshua, then Independent Cork County Councillor, Cllr Karen Coakley said that people were greatly saddened by the tragedy but would offer every support they could because the family were new to the area at the time.
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