Remains found in Dollymount confirmed as those of actor Gerry McCann

Remains washed ashore on a popular Dublin beach at the weekend have been confirmed as those of actor Gerry McCann.

The 47-year-old father of two had been missing since last Thursday.

His remains were found on Dollymount beach on the north side of the city at 11.30am yesterday by a walker who immediately contacted gardai.

Mr McCann was being treated for anxiety at St John of God Hospital in Stillorgan, south Dublin, at the time of his disappearance and gardai are treating his death as a personal tragedy.

He was last seen in Stillorgan last Thursday at around 10am and is believed to have made his way to nearby Ballsbridge.

After efforts by his family to find him and contact him were not successful the Garda made a public appeal for information on his whereabouts.

It has been confirmed this afternoon that the remains found in Dollymount yesterday are those of Mr McCann.

From Baldoyle in north Dublin, his two children are age 5 and 6 years.

He starred in Life's a Breeze, where he appeared in a dole office scene with comedian and actor Pat Shortt. He also appeared in the past on the RTE TV series Fair City where he played a carer to the character of Pascal.

On Monday, Shortt made an appeal for people to look out for any sign of Mr McCann and his wife Andrea also gave a number of radio interviews appealing for information on her husband.

She said it was “very unusual” not to hear from him as they would normally talk to or text each other several times per day. It was “totally out of the blue”, she said. “He’s very much a family man” she said on RTE radio.