The body of a sports diver who went missing in Killary harbour, Co Galway, at the weekend has been recovered from the mouth of the fjord.
Divers from the Garda water unit and from a number of sub-aqua clubs participated in the search yesterday, and the body was recovered at low water shortly before 3pm.
The man, named as Gabriel "Texas" Ryan, was from Tuam, Co Galway, but he had been living in London for the past 20 years. He was one of a party of three diving east of Inishbarna island at the mouth of the fjord on Sunday.
He was last seen at a depth of 25m at about 2.30pm, and the dive boat accompanying the group initially thought that he had become separated.
When there was no sign of him surfacing, the alarm was raised. The Irish Coast Guard station at Malin Head, Co Donegal, tasked the Clifden RNLI lifeboats, the Cleggan and Westport Coast Guard units and the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard Sikorsky rescue helicopter, along with local boats. Weather in the area was very good at the time. Irish Coast Guard units, the Sikorsky helicopter, the RNLI and many volunteers resumed the search yesterday, and Mr Ryan was located close to where he was last seen on Sunday.
He is survived by his parents, Julian, a retired garda, and Patricia, and by one brother and three sisters.