GARDAÍ ARE investigating the deaths of two middle-aged women whose bodies were found on a beach in Co Clare yesterday.
The grim discovery was made at about 10.30am at the White Strand near Miltown Malbay by a person who was walking at the popular bathing area. The bodies were found near a UK-registered Citroen car believed to have belonged to one of the women.
Gardaí from Ennistymon were called to the scene.
Just over a low wall, close to where the rocks meet the beach, the bodies of the two women lay about 10ft apart. Both women were fully clothed and their clothing was wet. It wasn’t immediately clear how long they had been there or whether they had been in the water. Waves may have washed over them where they lay.
Senior gardaí from Clare’s divisional headquarters in Ennis visited the scene while Irish Coast Guard personnel from Doolin were also called in to assist with cordoning off the area.
Garda technical experts carried out an examination of the scene and photographed the area around the bodies. Two hearses removed the bodies at about 1.30pm while a tow-truck transported the car to Ennis Garda station where it will be technically examined.
A dog that was discovered inside the vehicle was removed from the scene by the ISPCA’s dog warden in Clare.
The bodies of the women were removed, with accompanying gardaí, to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick, where Assistant State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis was to carry out postmortems last night.
Gardaí were examining a number of theories, including the possibility that the women died as a result of an accident. It was speculated that one of the women may have fallen or been struck by a freak wave and her companion might have gone to her aid.
The tide was out at the time of the discovery, but the sea was rough. It is understood the last high tide was at about 3am, which could mean that the women may have died late on Thursday night.
A Garda spokesman said: “We are satisfied, pending the outcome of the postmortem examinations, that these deaths are not suspicious. We are investigating the cause of death but we don’t know what happened.
“It could be the case that one of the women fell into the water and the other went to help her. We will have to wait and see what the postmortems show up.”
It is understood that the women were from Wales but may have had connections with the area. There was very little clothing or luggage found in the car, leading gardaí to believe they had connections in Clare or had been staying in local accommodation.
The beach where the bodies were discovered is a quiet, well-kept area less than 3km from Miltown Malbay and 2km from the popular seaside resort of Spanish Point.
The White Strand is popular with holidaymakers, with as many as 40 mobile homes based there. Swimmers and divers regularly visit the area. The beach also opens out on to the Atlantic, which produces spectacular waves that crash up on to the beach and nearby cliffs.
Dozens of cars drove by the scene yesterday while others stopped in a nearby car park to observe from a distance.
Gardaí and Coast Guard personnel kept the public away from the area until gardaí had concluded their work.
One local man said: “This is an awful tragedy at a really beautiful spot. This is one of the most popular spots in Clare and even during the winter you’d often meet a few hardy souls going for a swim here.”