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Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Teen who died swimming in Carlow is named – ‘No words can express the pain'
Peter Byrne tragically died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Barrow on Tuesday evening A teenage boy who tragically died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Barrow in Co Carlow yesterday has been named locally as Peter Byrne. The 17-year-old was in the water at Cloghristick, Milford in Co Carlow with his two friends, also aged in their teens, when he got into difficulty and went under the water. The alarm was raised at 6.30pm on Tuesday and emergency services including ambulance, fire brigade, gardaí and the Garda Water Unit rushed to the scene and a search for the teenager began. The young man's body was recovered at 11.30pm last night by divers from the Garda Water Unit within a 10m radius of where he was last seen. Peter was from Carlow Town and was very well-known and much-loved in the area having played with the local soccer club New Oak F.C. Principal of St Mary's Academy CBS in Carlow Town, Fiona Lennon, said "no words can express the pain of such a loss". "We learned this morning of the death of one our past pupils, Peter Byrne," Ms Lennon said. "Our school and our community are deeply saddened by this tragedy and we are particularly mindful of Peter's family and friends at this time. Their grief is heavy and we hold them in our thoughts as they navigate these difficult days. The late Peter Byrne "No words can express the pain of such a loss and we extend to them our deepest sympathies and support. "We will take time in the coming days to reflect and remember Peter and we ask you to keep his beloved family in your thoughts and prayers." Mayor of Carlow, Cllr Fintan Phelan, said his thoughts are with Peter's family and also his friends who witnessed the tragedy. "I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the young man's family," said Cllr Phelan. "My thoughts are with them all at this incredibly difficult time and my thoughts are also with his friends who were there when this terrible incident happened. It is a very, very sad and difficult time for them all." Meanwhile principal of St. Joseph's NS in Carlow, Cllr Fergal Browne, paid tribute to Peter, who attended the school as a young child. "As both a councillor in Carlow and the principal of St Joseph's, a school which Peter was a former student of, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his family at this terrible time. "It is an awful tragedy, especially to lose someone so young." The late Peter Byrne News in 90 Seconds - June 18th Since the tragic news broke this morning, Peter's friends have taken to social media to share their heartbreak and remember a young man who was only starting out in life. "Rest in eternal peace Peter," wrote one friend on social media. "It was a honour knowing and growing up with you as a child. May God watch over your family at this devastating and hard time. "You've broken everyone's hearts Peter. You were one-of-a-kind, a true gentleman and a kind and caring soul. May you get the best bed up there, praying for your family at this hard time. You'll be missed big time. Rest easy kid forever 17. Gone but never forgotten." "May this true gentleman of a chap at that young age be given the best bed up there, you deserve it," added another friend on social media. "Gone but never forgotten. Rest in paradise Peter." Gardaí say Peter's death is being treated as a "tragic incident". His remains have since been brought to Waterford University Hospital where a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course. A file is also being prepared for the coroner.
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Teen (17) dies after getting into difficulty swimming in Carlow river
Gardaí say it is being treated as a "tragic incident" A teenager has tragically died after he encountered difficulties while swimming in the River Barrow in Co Carlow yesterday. The young man (17) was swimming in the water at Cloghristick, Milford, Co. Carlow with his two friends, also aged in their teens, when he got into difficulty and was seen going under water. The alarm was raised at 6.30pm on Tuesday and emergency services including ambulance, fire brigade, Gardaí and the Garda Water Unit rushed to the scene and a search for the teenager commenced. Sadly a body was recovered at 11.30pm last night by the Garda Water Unit. It's understood the teenager is from Carlow Town. Gardaí say it is being treated as a "tragic incident". Garda jacket. Stock image. News in 90 Seconds - June 18th More to follow...
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Body of teenage boy recovered from river after he 'encountered difficulties'
The body of a teenage boy has been recovered from the River Barrow in Carlow after he got into difficulty swimming on Tuesday evening. The body of the teenager was found by Garda divers around 11pm following a search by the Garda Water Unit and local emergency services. The 17-year-old is understood to have been swimming with a friend when he got into difficulty around 6.30pm in the river in the Milford area of the county - around eight kilometres from Carlow town. The teenager was with his friend at a local gym and it is believed that they then decided to go swimming. The student's friend saw him get into difficulty in the water and tried to help him. However, as he attempted to help, he too was being sucked downwards due to strong river currents. Eventually he managed to swim to safety and raise the alarm. Gardaí and emergency services from Carlow town were quickly on the scene. The teenager was a Transition Year student in a local secondary school in Carlow town. Emergency services, along with Gardaí, remained at the scene for several hours as a search got underway to locate the teenager. The scene remains cordoned off by Gardaí. In a statement, Gardaí said that they, along with emergency services, were alerted shortly after 6.30pm on Tuesday after a 17-year-old male 'encountered difficulties' while swimming in the River Barrow at Cloghristick, Milford, Co Carlow. At the same location 11 years ago, a 19-year-old man died after he took part in a Neknominate social media challenge, before stripping down to his shorts and jumping into the swollen River Barrow and drowning. Jonathan (Jonny) Byrne, Tomard, Leighlinbridge, Co Carlow, lost his life on February 1, 2014 at Milford Bridge. A subsequent inquest heard the victim could not swim and had a fear of water.
Sunday World
21-05-2025
- Sunday World
Gardaí suspect chainsaw was used to dismember Mike Gaine's body after murder
Power tools kept in farmyard in Kenmare, Co Kerry, being examined by investigators Partial human remains, believed to be those of the missing farmer, were found on Friday in a field where slurry was spread on Mr Gaine's farm. The farmer owned at least three chainsaws that were kept on the property. It is understood power tools located on the farm are being examined by gardaí. The focus of the forensic investigation is now on how the body may have been dismembered, comparing saw or other blade cuts and examining an agitator in the slurry pit. Read more The results will hopefully provide the cause of death and how long the dismembered remains were in the slurry tank before being discovered. It is hoped the results will also provide a precise timeline. Such was the dismemberment of the remains and the advanced stage of decomposition, it is understood it will be several days before final reports are available to gardaí from state pathologist Dr SallyAnne Collis and forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley. Mike Gaine One source said the work of the medical and forensic experts will be 'very challenging'. Gardaí will also consult with microbiology and chemical experts. It comes after a man in his 50s who was arrested on suspicion of the farmer's murder was released without charge on Monday night. The man, who was arrested on Sunday, was questioned for the maximum period of 24 hours. He was detained at Killarney garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. His legal representative, solicitor Patrick Mann, declined to comment on his client's detention, questioning or release when contacted by the Irish Independent . Mr Gaine, a 56-year-old sheep farmer with land near Kenmare, Co Kerry, was reported missing from his home more than eight weeks ago. His farm at Carraig East was declared a crime scene at the weekend after human remains were discovered. A local contractor was spreading the slurry drawn from a tank in the farmyard on Friday evening when the spraying pipe became blocked. When they went to clear it, they discovered human remains and notified gardaí. Gardaí have insisted that both slurry tanks on the farm were thoroughly searched for several days and they were one of the first areas searched. The majority of material was drained from both tanks at the time and nothing of evidential value was found. All underground tanks on the farm are now being fully drained and examined with the assistance of members from the Garda Water Unit. Officers searching Mike Gaine's farm There has also been a lot of focus on the tanker used to spread the slurry last Friday. Yesterday, during the fourth day of a garda technical examination of Mr Gaine's farm, officers were assisted by the Defence Forces and the Kerry Fire and Rescue Service. A number of excavators and diggers were at the scene. The search of the farm is expected to continue for several days. Mr Gaine's remains were removed in a hearse on Sunday evening for tests. A post-mortem examination was due to take place at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee, though it was not immediately clear if a cause of death would be established because of the condition of the remains. Mr Gaine was last seen on Thursday, March 20, in Kenmare. On April, almost six weeks after Mr Gaine disappeared, the missing-person case was upgraded to a homicide investigation. Mr Gaine's wife Janice and his sister Noreen O'Regan issued a plea at that time, with Ms Gaine appealing for anyone with information to come forward in a video released by gardaí. In the video, Ms Gaine said Mr Gaine was her 'best friend, my husband' and 'this whole thing has been devastating'. 'His disappearance is totally out of character and we knew that from day one,' she said. 'We just want Michael to come home, we want [to] know what happened to him,' she said. Mr Gaine's sister described him as a 'loving husband, brother, uncle'. 'We're devastated. Our lives are shattered,' she said. 'We want answers. We love Michael, we want him back.' Over the past eight weeks, several appeals have been issued and extensive searches carried out. Around 2,200 hours of CCTV and dashcam footage have been examined and 130 witness statements were taken by the end of last month.
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Recovery of body parts from Michael Gaine's farm leads to arrest in murder investigation
A dramatic 24 hours in the homicide investigation into missing farmer Michael Gaine saw the arrest of a man on suspicion of murder and the recovery of human body parts at his Kerry farm. Detectives were last night questioning a man, aged in his 50s, after arresting him on suspicion of murder on Sunday afternoon. The development came after intense garda activity over the weekend at a site on Mr Gaine's 1,000-acre farm, sparked by the shock discovery of human tissue from a slurry spreader on Friday. Garda HQ announced yesterday that an arrest had been made and, shortly after, at about 5.20pm, a hearse carrying a coffin arrived at the farm, indicating that significant human body parts had been found. A curate arrived at the scene and went into the cattle barn at the centre of the examination. Men could be seen coming and going, their heads bowed and some wiping their faces. At about 5.45pm, a coffin was brought out from the barn and placed carefully into the back of the hearse. A short while later, the hearse, escorted by a garda car, pulled up the drive and headed in the direction of Moll's Gap, towards University Hospital Kerry in Tralee for an autopsy. The grim scenes followed extensive examinations on Saturday and yesterday, with the specialist Garda Water Unit yesterday joining the Garda Technical Unit in examining a slurry tank, a spreader, and a large agitator, used to mix and pump slurry. The decision to conduct the arrest so quickly came as a surprise but sources stressed this would not have been done without reasonable grounds and/or pressing operational reasons. A coffin containing remains is carried out of the cattle shed at the farm of Michael Gaine in Kerry. Picture Neil Michael The garda statement said: 'This afternoon, Sunday, May 18, a male [aged in his 50s] has been arrested on suspicion of murder. 'The male is being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station in Kerry division. An Garda Síochána continues to carry out searches and technical examinations at lands at Carrig East, Kenmare, Co Kerry.' It said the family of Mr Gaine had been informed of the arrest and that the garda family liaison officer was providing support. Mr Gaine, aged 56, went missing on March 21, with the investigation upgraded to homicide on April 29. His wife Janice and his sister Noreen made an emotional plea for information the following day. Before the arrest, it was thought that gardaí had identified a shortlist of potential male suspects. The man arrested can be held for a maximum of 24 hours, excluding sleep breaks. During this period, he will be subject to a number of interviews, where evidence gathered to date will be put before him. Investigators will be in contact with the office of the DPP to determine if there is sufficient evidence to press charges or if the person should be released to allow for further investigations and the preparation of a file for submission to the office. Initial discovery Some three dozen gardaí were gathered at the scene on Sunday after the discovery of suspected human tissue on Friday. The grim find came after a worker operating a slurry spreader spotted unusual material when trying to clear a blockage in the machine. Other potential samples of tissue were subsequently identified across a number of fields where the slurry had been spread. Gardaí confirmed on Saturday evening that tests conducted by State pathologist Sally Anne Collis and forensic anthropologist Laureen Buckley showed the tissue was human. DNA is being extracted from a number of tissue samples to build a DNA profile, which will be then compared to a reference sample of Mr Gaine to see if they match. Sources said that, in order to build a profile, scientists need a sufficient amount of DNA from samples and enough DNA that has not been degraded by environmental factors, such as contaminated, or even toxic, material in a slurry tank. Sources said that if the technical process of testing is expedited, it could still take a week to get preliminary results back but also stressed that it could be longer. The discovery yesterday of more significant human remains will assist and, following the autopsy, should also help in determining the cause of death. Throughout Sunday, gardaí lifted slatted slabs covering an underground slurry tank in the large slatted-unit cattle shed in the yard, and sifted through material from the tank. An excavator assisted in the procedure. The slurry tank was thought to have been emptied during an initial examination towards the end of March but may have been filled since. Sources have said that if human tissue, and the further remains discovered Sunday, come from the tank, there could be two possibilities — that the tank may not have been fully emptied and checked the first time, or that human remains were put into it after the first examination. The Garda Water Unit has the necessary expertise and equipment to search and gather material from hazardous environments, including noxious liquids and solids in slurry tanks and spreaders. Members of the unit assisted in examining the slurry spreader and a large agitator, used to mix and pump the slurry.
