Update
Saturday, 21st – 5.35pm
The search for the missing man has been stood down. It’s bern confirmed that a body washed up on the Galway coastline on Thursday was that of the man from Loughrea. The body was discovered on the shoreline at Furbo by a passerby.
The multi-agency search operation, which began on December 3rd, involved Irish Coast Guard units from Doolin Co Clare and Costello Bay in Galway, the Aran Islands and Galway RNLI lifeboats, Oranmore Maree Coastal Search Unit and Rescue 115.
Gardaí confirmed they are treating the death as a personal tragedy and a file will be prepared for a coroner’s inquest which will be held at a later date.
Update:
Tuesday, 9.45am – The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat joined the search this morning while Coast Guard volunteers resumed their searches of the coastline.
Members of Costello Bay Coast Guard have also been searching on the Galway coastline.
Earlier: A search is expected to resume this morning for an elderly man reported missing in Co Clare yesterday.
An air, land and sea search was mounted last night amid concerns for the man whose car was found close to Blackhead Lighthouse in the north of the county.
The search was concentrated in the area around the lighthouse where the man’s car was found last night. It’s understood however that the car may have been there for most of the day.
After the car was located, Gardaí requested assistance from the Irish Coast Guard to carry out a search of the area. Watch officers at the Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island in Kerry mounted a search operation at around 8.00pm.
Volunteers from the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard commenced a shoreline search while the Shannon based search and rescue helicopter used its powerful lights and FLIR (forwarding-looking infra-red) heat seeking equipment to search the water and shore.
While there was no indication where the man might be, searches were carried along the main R477 coast road; north and south along the rocky coastline and in the area of Galway Bay around the lighthouse.
Later, some personal items, believed to belong to the missing man, were discovered on the shore close to the water by a Doolin Coast Guard search team. It’s understood the items included a set of walking sticks.
With no trace of the man being found, the search was stood down for the night but is expected to resume this morning.
The RNLI is also expected to join the search today.