A 19-year-old who died while swimming in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, last year was seen lying in choppy water in a “tranquil” state before drowning a short time later, an inquest has heard.
Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard on Monday that Luke McAuliffe, an apprentice electrician from Dundalk, Co Louth, was due to be picked up from the local train station after attending classes at Howth Junction on April 30th, 2024.
His father, Alan McAuliffe, believed he might have missed the train or had fallen asleep and texted him but received no response. After another train arrived and left, he tracked the last live location of his son’s phone to Balbriggan’s Main Street using the Snapchat app.
Concerned about his son’s whereabouts, he went to Balbriggan Garda station, believing he might have been robbed but was then told by gardaí that a body matching his son’s description had been brought ashore.
Live updates: Trump warns Israel ‘do not drop those bombs’ on Iran amid ‘ceasefire violations’ on both sides
A New Zealander in Dublin: ‘It feels like people work to live here as opposed to living to work’
The D4 farmers: Why the rich are buying up land to avoid inheritance tax
Israel-Iran ceasefire announcement shows Trump’s uncanny ability to shape the narrative
Mr McAuliffe, who described his son as a “typical 19-year-old” who was “full of life”, said he had been stopping at Malahide to swim after class in the weeks leading up to his death but complained that the water there was “too shallow”.
He said his son had mentioned that he might try swimming in Balbriggan instead.
Mr McAuliffe said his son was “happy-go-lucky”, adding: “We would sometimes get upset because he would just do something spur of the moment, he never thought too far ahead,” he said, though he described his son as a “fair swimmer” who “didn’t have any fear of the water”.
Gerard McKenzie, a passerby who saw Mr McAuliffe in the water at Balbriggan harbour, described conditions on the day as “windy and choppy”.
He recalled seeing the 19-year-old lying on his back with his arms stretched out, looking up at the sky, saying he appeared to be in a “tranquil” state.
A regular swimmer, Mr McKenzie said he first reacted with “alarm” when he saw him that evening from the lighthouse at about 5.40pm, saying he would not have swum there himself due to the conditions and the distance from the shore.
When he looked back and could not see him a short time later, he said “alarm bells rang” and he called for emergency services.
The Garda Air Support Unit and the Skerries Coast Guard provided support in the search for Mr McAuliffe, whose body was ultimately located at 7.20pm in a rocky area near the Martello tower.
Acknowledging evidence given that Mr McAuliffe was a “fair swimmer,” coroner Dr Clare Keane noted the conditions on the day and that he was swimming in an unfamiliar area before returning a verdict of accidental death.
“I can only imagine the absolute shock for you as a family on his loss,” she said.
