Volunteers from Clare Civil Defence have located and recovered the body of man reported missing in Co Limerick yesterday.
It was the second time in a week that the Clare based volunteers located the body of missing person and the unit’s third major search so far this year.
Today, volunteers were requested to assist Gardaí with their search for 62-year-old Joe Noonan who was reported missing from his home in Kilmallock, Co Limerick on Wednesday.
It’s understood that Mr Noonan was last seen in Granagh in the early hours of Tuesday, 7th January so the search was concentrated in that areas surrounding the village.
Gardaí and dozens of locals searched farm buildings, outhouses, local roads and lands in difficult conditions during the day. The area remains under a blanket of snow following the recent cold weather spell.
The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, also carried out a comprehensive search in the Granagh area yesterday.
Earlier today, members of the Limerick Garda Divisional Search team were deployed to assist in the search while Clare Civil Defence were also requested by An Garda Síochána to send their unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit to help in the effort.
Volunteers travelled to Granagh this morning from their Ennis base and launched a drone as part of the operation.
Civil Defence drone operators located a body in a ditch on the roadside about five kilometres from where the missing man was last seen. Gardaí were notified of the find while Clare Civil Defence team members made their to the location.
Gardaí carried out an examination of the scene where the man was found while paramedics were called to formally pronounce the man dead. The body was then recovered from the scene by Civil Defence personnel and Gardaí and removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination will be carried out.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Following the discovery of a man’s body, the missing person appeal for Joe Noonan (62) who was reported missing from his home in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick on Wednesday, 8th January 2025 has been stood down.
No further media action is required and no further information is available at this time.”
Gardaí thanked the public and media for their assistance.
Earlier this week, Clare Civil Defence members located the body of an elderly man in the Corofin area after he had also been reported missing by his family.
Last week, Civil Defence volunteers from Clare travelled to Cork to assist in the search for a missing woman. She was found safe and well by search team members from Clare.
Also in recent days, Clare Civil Defence has been assisting the HSE with transporting staff to and from work as well as patients to their appointments. Volunteers have been using their 4×4 vehicles to access areas cut off by the recent snow.