Man (50s) from Donegal dies in water at Castletownbere pier

Damian McGuinness of Killybegs named locally as man who died on Saturday

Damian McGuinness from Killybegs, Co Donegal, was named locally as the man who died. Photograph: RIP.ie
Damian McGuinness from Killybegs, Co Donegal, was named locally as the man who died. Photograph: RIP.ie

A man in his 50s has died after he got in to difficulty in the water at the pier in Castletownbere, west Cork.

He has been named locally as Damien McGuinness of Church Road, Killybegs in Co. Donegal.

The incident occurred at about 5.30pm on Saturday. The emergency services were contacted. The National Ambulance Service issued an alert to Valentia Coastguard.

The local RNLI lifeboat attended the scene. The man was taken from the water and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The body of the man has been taken to the mortuary at Cork University Hospital. The coroner has been contacted.

A postmortem examination will be carried out. An inquest will be held at a later date.

It is understood the deceased worked as a crew member on a tug boat.

McGuinness was predeceased by his father Peter. He is survived by his mother Susan, siblings Claire and Seamus, his beloved nieces Lauryn and Lara, extended friends and neighbours, according to a death notice on RIP.ie. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Castletownbere is currently hosting its nine-day Festival of the Seas, which attracts crowds to the area

Deputy mayor of the county Finbarr Harrington said his thoughts and prayers were with the families of the deceased man.

“I just opened the festival last night,” he said on Saturday. “It is a great family festival, so for something like this to happen is very sad.

“Castletownbere has seen its share of tragedies in the water and of course something like this brings it back to people who have been in this position.”

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