Body found in River Lee during search for missing UCC student

Colin Ronayne from Mallow had not been seen since 6am on New Year’s Day

Teams of volunteers had been searching the River Lee for the past three weeks for 31 year old Colin Roynane from Rahan near Mallow who was a final year commerce student at UCC
Teams of volunteers had been searching the River Lee for the past three weeks for 31 year old Colin Roynane from Rahan near Mallow who was a final year commerce student at UCC

A search team looking for a UCC student missing since New Year's Day have this morning recovered a body from the River Lee in Cork city.

Teams of volunteers had been searching the River Lee for the past three weeks for 31 year old Colin Roynane from Rahan near Mallow who was a final year commerce student at UCC.

Mr Ronayne was last seen alive on CCTV cameras near Welllington Bridge on the western side of Cork city around 6am on New Year's Day.

He had been attending a New Year's Eve party with friends in the College Road area but left the house in the early hours of the morning.

Teams of volunteers from Mallow as well as the Mallow Search and Rescue Unit have been searching the River Lee from Wellington Bridge downstream through the city centre.

This morning watchers on the Marina spotted a body floating in the river near the ESB power generating plant and they alerted the emergency services.

The body was recovered from the river and taken to Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem where it’s expected that a formal identification will take place.

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Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times