The search for 32-year-old Máire Ní Fhátharta has been stood down after a body was recovered from the water at Galway Bay.
Máire was reported missing from Silver Strand beach nearly two weeks ago after she did not turn up for work. Her vehicle was found in an adjacent car park.
Earlier on the same morning, singer/songwriter Johnny Duhan was also reported missing, with his body being recovered from the water the same day. The two swimmers had gone out separately.
Rescue services confirmed on Friday they recovered a body close to where Máire went missing. The body was removed to University Hospital Galway for identification and postmortem.
Around 500 volunteers helped with the search operation, which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard’s Marine Rescue Sub Centre in Valentia, Co. Kerry, and involved teams from the RNLI, Civil Defence and the Rescue 117 helicopter.
Members of Galway Bay Sailing Club, kayakers and paddle-boarders also joined in with the search. A Garda spokesman said: ‘The search has for now been stood down. However, formal identification has yet to occur and this process remains ongoing.’
A GoFundMe page entitled ‘Bring Máire Home’ has raised over €225,000. The money covered the cost of fuel for boats and search equipment.
