Man drowns after falling off bridge over Moy

A man drowned early yesterday when he fell into the River Moy in Ballina, Co Mayo, while returning from a disco.

A man drowned early yesterday when he fell into the River Moy in Ballina, Co Mayo, while returning from a disco.

The man was named locally yesterday as Kevin Egan (24) from Culleens, Co Sligo, about 10 miles from Ballina.

It is understood he had been walking across what is known as the Lower Bridge with friends at about 2.40am when the incident occurred.

After the alarm was raised, an extensive search was carried out by rescue teams including firefighters and gardaí. The body was located some distance down river at 7.20am and brought to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar. A postmortem will be carried out.

It is understood that Mr Egan was on the parapet of the 172-year-old bridge when he fell into the fast-flowing river. Gardaí have mounted a full investigation into the circumstances of the drowning.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter