Lough Corrib angling tragedy mars holiday weekend

By TONY GALVIN FOLLOWING the death of an angler who was thrown into the water after a wave hit his boat, the public is being reminded once again that Lough Corrib is not a pond and can prove treacherous, even for anglers as experienced and safety-conscious as the two men involved in Monday's tragedy. The drama began on Monday afternoon when two anglers got into difficulty after a wave hit their boat just north of Annaghdown. 53-year-old Michael Ruane from Devon Park, Salthill was airlifted to UCHG but despite exhaustive efforts to revive him he lost his battle for life on Tuesday morning. 47-year-old Donal Coyle from Oranmore is still being treated for exposure and shock. The Irish Red Cross has praised the efforts of local anglers for their part in assisting the rescue operation. The alarm was raised by a nearby angling boat at 4.40pm on Monday and the Irish Coast Guard scrambled their Shannon-based Sikorsky rescue helicopter immediately. The crew located the missing man soon after arriving on the scene and he was winched aboard and taken to UHG. It is estimated he spent approximately 50 minutes in the cold water. The helicopter was called back to the scene when the second man began showing signs of hypothermia. He was also airlifted to hospital. There was a small-craft warning in place for the area where the fishermen got into difficulties. It is understood that a wave destabilised their boat and one of the men fell into the water. He was wearing a safety flotation device but this became detached during his prolonged period in the cold water. His companion entered the water to try and rescue him but was unable to do so. He made it back to the boat but later had to be airlifted to UHG suffering the effects of hypothermia. Headford-based Mike Monaghan, one of Lough Corrib's most experienced anglers, said this was a terrible blow to the local angling community. He has been friends for many years with both men and he knew them to be experienced boatmen who knew the lake very well. He emphasised that they were not men to take foolhardy risks of any kind but declined to comment any further because of the sensitivity of the situation. However, Mike Monaghan did reiterate the warning that he and other experienced anglers and boatmen have previously issued many times on the dangers of Lough Corrib. This warning boils down to reminding people that Lough Corrib is not a pond. It is a major expanse of water where waves can very suddenly be whipped up by strengthening winds. Anyone going out on Lough Corrib should either be experienced enough to read all the signs or ensure they have taken the advice of local anglers. The message is clear. If two such experienced Lough Corrib anglers such as Mike Ruane and Donal Coyle can get into difficulty, anyone can. Predominant winds from the South-west and West can create dangerously high waves on Lough Corrib. In such conditions a very high wave frequency can quickly build up and boats can be swamped. Anyone intending to take a boat on the lake is advised to check the inland lakes weather forecast before they set out. Winds funnelled down the Maam Valley can reach force three at Cong but rise to force six further down the lake.