Drown victim’s dad died at same spot 40yrs ago
THE father of a man who drowned off the Donegal coast on Tuesday lost his life in the same area almost 40 years ago, it emerged yesterday.
Gerry “Malin” Doherty, who was in his 60s, died after his boat capsized just half a mile out to sea off Malin Head.
Mr Doherty’s father Paddy “Malin” Doherty was killed when he slipped and fell off rocks while crabbing in the 1970s.
Sinn Fein county councillor Albert Doherty said: “I know the family well and they are lovely people. I was in school with Gerry and he was a lovely guy.
“I called to see his brother Patsy and he pulled out a picture of Gerry and his dad together and said Gerry didn’t die far from where his father died 39 years ago.
“It’s very sad for them all and our hearts and prayers are with them all at this time. Gerry married a lovely Mayo woman Marian and they had two lovely daughters and also grandchildren.”
Thomas Weir, 16, also drowned in the double tragedy this week.
A third man Dessie Keenan, who is in
Gerry Doherty and Thomas Weir his 50s, survived after he clung on to a fishing buoy for four hours before being spotted.
The boat on which the men had put out to sea was a 16ft cabin cruiser owned by Mr Doherty.
It left the small Port Ronan pier just before 9am in what were described as good conditions. However, at around noon it is believed the engine lost power.
Just before 4pm the alarm was raised when visitors staying in a nearby cottage heard cries for help.
They alerted the nearby Malin Head Coastguard station who rushed to the scene. All emergency services were then tasked to the area after a person was spotted in the water.
The first person taken from the sea by winch was Thomas Weir who was taken to Derry’s Alnagelvin Hospital.
He is originally from Scotland but had been living with his relative Dessie Keenan in Derry.
He was saved by clinging to a buoy and has since been released from hospital.
Just before 6pm, Mr Doherty’s body was spotted on a rocky outcrop close to an area known locally as Banba’s Crown.
Exactly what happened to cause the men’s boat to capsize will be the subject of investigations by the gardai and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board.
Lough Swilly Lifeboat spokesman Joe Joyce said: “Once outside the cabin they would have had a small enough space to be on. The back would have gone down first with the weight of the engine.
“They would have found themselves in the water very quickly.”