Michael Harrington’s small boat is believed to have sunk quickly
An Irish coastal community is in mourning after a respected fisherman drowned in a tragedy off the west Cork.
Michael Harrington, who was in his 50s and lived near Blackball Head, between Castletownbere and Allihies, died after his small boat sank while he was fishing alone for pollock off Beara on Monday evening.
“Michael was a well-liked and highly respected local fisherman with decades of experience at sea,” said Niall Duffy, a trustee of Irish fishing charity Lost At Sea Tragedies (Last).
“The entire Beara community is deeply shocked by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to Michael’s family, friends and fellow fishermen. Everyone here is numbed.
“This once again highlights the dangers facing our fishermen who brave our waters and the elements to put seafood on Irish tables.”
A search operation was launched when Mr Harrington did not return to port, and local people reported sighting debris off Blackball Head.
Mr Harrington set out from Castletownbere at around 6pm on Monday, with sea conditions described as good. It is believed his boat sank in a matter of minutes.
Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 was scrambled and was only minutes from the scene when Mr Harrington’s body was recovered by vessels conducting a search on Tuesday morning.
Multiple local fishing boats had joined the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat in the search operation, which began shortly after 7am on Tuesday and was co-ordinated by the Coast Guard centre in Valentia.
The body was taken to Castletownbere by the RNLI lifeboat before being transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where a post-mortem examination was expected to be carried out.
A file will be prepared by gardaí for the South Cork Coroner’s office for an inquest which is likely to take place early next year. However, the death is being treated as a tragic accident.