Body of fisherman recovered from Carlingford Lough

The body of a fisherman has been recovered from Carlingford Lough after a search involving coastguard units from both sides of the border, along with local search and rescue teams.

The alarm was raised shortly after 12.30pm yesterday when the Coast Guard received a report that a vessel was in difficulty near Greencastle Point in Co Down.

It is understood two men from a local fishing boat were working the waters off Greencastle when their boat sank.

One man was rescued from the vessel and was transferred to the care of HSE paramedics at Greenore Harbour in Co Louth.

The body of the other man was recovered by divers from Dundalk Sub Aqua Search and Rescue, along with divers from Kilkeel, around 8.15pm last night.

Fianna Fáil councillor in the Dundalk/Carlingford Electoral Area John Reilly said there was a "deep sense of shock in the area.

"People look out on this beautiful lough, which is a hidden gem. There is great sadness today on both sides of the lough.

"Carlingford and Greenore have a long seafaring tradition and this doesn't happen here very often.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the fisherman who lost his life and his family."

Cllr Reilly also paid tribute to those involved in the search operation, saying: "the cross-border co-operation was excellent and it was a joint effort between gardaí, the PSNI and search teams both north and south of the border".