Brother tried to save boy, 5, who drowned

THE brother of a fiveyear-old boy who drowned after he was swept away on a dinghy desperately tried to save his life.

The tragic young victim, named locally as Ben Duffy, was in the dinghy when it drifted from the shoreline on Lough Mask in Co. Mayo on Monday evening.

It is understood his older brother made desperate attempts to rescue him, and was holding the rope attached to the dinghy, but lost his grip as the wind blew it offshore.

Following an extensive search operation, the boy’s body was discovered early yesterday morning in just four metres of water, approximately 200 yards from the shore.

Ben, who is the youngest of five, was playing with his siblings on the lake’s shoreline when the tragedy unfolded. The incident happened near the Toormakeady side of the lough at 6.30pm.

Local parish priest Fr John Kenny said Ben’s parents Alan and Treacy were ‘heartbroken’.

‘Yesterday evening, it went from a sunny summer’s day with a holiday atmosphere buzz around the place to people screaming for help and devastation for the family,’ he said. ‘The community is stunned and shocked by what happened and are so upset for the family.’

This is not the first tragedy to occur on the lake. In 2003, angler John O’Hora died when his boat struck underground rocks.

The latest tragedy is one of many incidents in recent weeks involving children getting into difficulty in water. Last week, a child, aged six, was rescued after drifting out to sea on a body board in Renvyle, Co. Galway.