BROTHERS KILLED IN DIVING TRAGEDY

TWO brothers drowned while diving in a quarry yesterday.

The tragic double drowning occurred in a slate quarry in Portroe, Co. Tipperary a location which is popular with divers.

The brothers were from Ballybrittas, Co. Laois and were experienced divers.

They were named locally last night as Fergus Brophy, aged 42, and his brother, Philip Brophy, 34.

It’s understood one of the men got into difficulties and the other raised the alarm before going back into the water to help his sibling.

One of the divers managed to surface but died on the scene while the body of the second was recovered soon after at a depth of about 25 metres.

Members of the Killaloe Coast Guard were returning to their base from a callout, when they immediately responded to the alert at the quarry.

A Garda spokesman said: ‘Gardaí attended an incident in Portroe, Co. Tipperary where two males have drowned.

‘The males are believed to have been diving when they got into trouble at approximately 1.30pm.’

The bodies were removed to Limerick University Hospital where a post-mortem examination is due to take place.

Local non-party councillor Seamus Morris described the incident as ‘a tragedy for the men’s families and all involved at the dive centre’.

He said: ‘As a dive centre, it’s used by local divers and it has always been very professionally run. My sympathies go to the men’s families and the club. I don’t know what happened, but diving is a sport that, unfortunately, has serious consequences if things don’t go right,’ Mr Morris said.

Fine Gael councillor Dr Phyll Bugler said: ‘We’re all shocked. Our deepest sympathies are with the families of the divers.’

The slate quarry in Portroe, near Nenagh, has attracted divers for many years and, more recently, it has been operating as a dive centre.

Its website describes it as ‘one of the best inland dive locations in Ireland’ and one which is ‘always diveable, regardless of weather conditions’.

According to the centre’s website, it opened five years ago as a dive attraction, with water up to 40 metres deep.