A woman who died after a cruiser boat caught fire on the river Shannon over the bank holiday weekend has been named as Deirdre Finn, a serving member of An Garda Síochána.
Det Garda Finn was serving as a detective in the Dún Laoghaire district of south Dublin and was also an official with the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
It is understood Det Garda Finn, who was living in Dublin and nearing retirement, was on a cruiser on the Shannon in Co Leitrim, with at least two other women, at the weekend when the fire broke out on the vessel.
The boat was moored in Carrick-on-Shannon on Monday morning when the fire was spotted and the alarm was raised. The emergency services – Garda, firefighters and paramedics – rushed to the scene. However, the flames had engulfed the vessel and though the fire was brought under control it claimed the life of Det Garda Finn.
“Gardaí assisted emergency services following reports of a fire on a boat in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim,” Garda Headquarters said in response to queries about the incident. “One female has been confirmed deceased. Investigations are ongoing.”
The scene of the blaze remained sealed-off on Monday as the evidence-gathering process was continuing. Both the Garda and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board were expected to have a role in establishing the cause of the fatal fire.
Garda sources said Det Garda Finn was a highly respected and popular member of the force who had sailed on the Shannon many times.
On social media, GRA president Brendan O’Connor said “we are devastated at the loss of a colleague and friend who not only was a talented crime investigator but also served colleagues and the GRA so well in a number of elected roles”.
Antoinette Cunningham, general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi), said it was “unspeakably sad news to hear that a highly respected serving Garda colleague has died in these terribly sad circumstances”. Ms Cunningham extended the “thoughts and the condolences of all” Agsi members to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues.
Cllr Sean McGowan (FF), who represents Carrick-on-Shannon municipal district, said the fire had resulted in shock and sadness in the area, adding the blaze was “most unusual” and had happened in an area where hundreds of boats sailed daily. “My thoughts and sympathies are with the deceased’s family,” he said. “It’s a terrible tragedy to happen; someone on a bank holiday weekend, down enjoying themselves.”
The remains of Ms Finn were removed from the scene to Sligo University Hospital Mortuary where a postmortem was due to take place on Tuesday. The boat has also been taken from the scene for examination and the Garda has appointed a liaison officer to support the dead woman’s family, with supports also being extended to her colleagues in the force.
Det Garda Finn, who was in her 50s, investigated a range of serious crimes during her time in the Garda and also worked as part of the Organised Crime Unit. She was one of the lead detectives in the prosecution of members of a robbery gang whose getaway car struck a woman in south Dublin three years ago causing fatal injuries.
Jacqueline McGovern (54) died when she was one of two women struck by a car carrying the three raiders as they fled from the robbery of a Centra shop on Barnhill Road, Dalkey, south Dublin, in March 2020.
