Tributes and tears for drowning victims
TWO men from Limerick have died in separate drowning tragedies.
One of the men, Christopher Leo, who was in his early 40s, had been swimming with friends near St Mary’s Park, Limerick city, when tragedy struck at around 5pm on Saturday. Mr Leo, from St Mary’s Park, was pulled from the water by emergency services, and pronounced dead a short time later.
It comes after a ‘loving and caring’ Limerick man drowned while swimming in New York a week ago.
Niall Gibbons, 30, originally from Castletroy, was swimming with friends in Long Beach on Monday of last week when they got into difficulty in the water. His friends managed to make it to shore and raised the alarm.
After a 29-hour search that covered 1,000 kilometres, the New York Coast Guard suspended its search.
On Wednesday, Mr Gibbons’s body was found by a couple on the shore between the Edwards and Riverside boulevards.
Mr Gibbons had been working as a bar manager in New York.
He had been living in the US for a number of years.
On his Facebook page, friends paid tribute to the Castletroy native, who was described as ‘genuine’ and ‘amazing’.
One friend said on Facebook: ‘I am so horribly sad that Niall is no longer here with us.’
After Saturday’s incident, rescuers attached to the local fire service and divers from Limerick Marine Search worked to recover Mr Leo’s body from the water. The tragic father was found submerged in 1.8 metres of water close to where he had been swimming, sources said.
Gardaí and HSE paramedics also responded to the scene. Despite efforts to resuscitate Mr Leo, he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Rev Seán Harmon, curate in St Mary’s Parish, said: ‘The community is rallying around the family. I know his father and uncle well. They are in shock and they are, of course, devastated and very upset.’