THE FUNERAL WILL take place this week of a Limerick man who died while swimming in New York last week.

Niall Gibbons had entered the waters off the coast of Long Island with two friends at 2am US time (7am Irish time) on Monday morning.

The two friends raised the alarm and an extensive search operation was conducted. The US Coast Guard then said it had made the “difficult decision” to suspend the search after a 29-hour long search.

Two passers-by then discovered a body on at Long Beach on Wednesday morning.

Local police told the Long Island Herald that they believed the body to be that of the Castletroy native and had contacted his family.

In a notice posted on RIP.ie, Niall is described as a “much-loved son” and a “cherished brother” who will be deeply mourned by his family and a large circle of friends.

A requiem mass is set to take place this Wednesday, before he is cremated at a later date.

When contacted by TheJournal.ie about the case, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it “cannot comment on individual consular cases”.