Fatal fishing trip off Beara Peninsula

A man in his 50s has died following a fishing trip off the Beara Peninsula in County Cork. His body was recovered from the water near Blackball Head, west of Castletownbere, on Tuesday morning.

The alarm was raised at about 7.30am after debris was spotted in the water near Blackball Head, prompting a response from the Irish Coast Guard and the Castletownbere RNLI. The Irish Coast Guard's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Valentia launched an operation, and a boat from Castletownbere RNLI went to the scene. The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 from Shannon was also tasked to assist, along with a number of local trawlers and smaller craft.

Paul Stevens of the Castletownbere RNLI told CorkBeo: "We were called after a local person spotted some debris in the water, there was no sign of the boat. The body was recovered from the water off Blackball head."

Recovery and identification

The man was found in the water at approximately 8.20am by the crew of a small punt, who brought him to the RNLI boat, which took him to port at Castletownbere. He was pronounced dead on the pier by a local GP. His body was taken to Cork University Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The man was a local fisherman who had gone pollock fishing from Castletownbere. The Irish Times reported that he was from Beara and had worked on fishing vessels previously, having worked ashore for a number of years before returning to fishing last year when he bought a boat. It is understood he had been alone on his boat while fishing.

His boat, described as a 10-metre vessel that had passed safety certification checks last year, was not found when rescuers arrived. Its whereabouts remain unknown. The Irish Coast Guard helicopter was stood down once the body was found.

Investigation and next steps

The Coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist have been notified. A post-mortem examination will be carried out, and an inquest will be heard in due course. Gardaí will prepare a file on the death for the inquest.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of all next of kin. Paul Stevens said: "We understand that his family were informed earlier this morning."

The RNLI crew reported that conditions were relatively calm off the West Cork coast overnight. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident.