LAST UPDATE | 13 Nov

A MAJOR SEARCH operation resumed today to locate a woman missing off Silverstrand in Galway Bay.

Emergency services launched a multi-agency search after reports that a woman in her 30s was missing after swimming at Silverstrand. A man in his 70s was also reported missing at the same beach at the same time, in a separate incident.

The search team yesterday evening located the body of the man who was later identified as renowned singer and songwriter Johnny Duhan (74). 

Over 250 volunteers joined rescue teams in the search along the shoreline, while a variety of crafts searched the water throughout the day.

The woman, who is in her early 30s and from Spiddal in Galway, went missing after going for a dip in the sea at Silverstrand near Barna, about seven kilometres west of Galway city.

The alarm was raised initially after songwriter Johnny Duhan, a daily swimmer at Silverstrand, was reported missing when he failed to return to his home in Barna.

Concern was raised for the welfare of the woman when she did not arrive for work and the search was upgraded when her car was located at Silverstrand.

Mr Duhan’s body was found at lunchtime yesterday but an extensive search from the docks in Galway city to Spiddal in Connemara failed to yield any sign of the missing woman.

Gardaí say they are treating the two incidents separately but Supt Paudie O’Shea said they are keeping an open mind on what happened.

“The sequence of events is still a puzzle to us,” he said. “Both parties would have arrived here separately, and they would have been keen and avid visitors to this area, and they would have planned for a dip in the sea each each morning.

“I wouldn’t like to speculate, but it’s quite unusual here in Silverstrand. Yesterday morning, the tide would have been out, so you can actually go out a good distance before you reach water.

“The fog was descended, so it’s a possibility that they got disorientated within that because even here yesterday evening, the fog was lifting and dropping within seconds. So even today, I’m told if you go out a mile, a mile and a half, it’s clear. The fog is hugging the coastline here. So, again, it’s just the nature, what was happening here yesterday morning was quite unique.”

Galway Civil Defence set up a command and control unit at Silverstrand and the search began at first light with the Irish Coast Guard helicopter 117 from Waterford involved in the search.

Superintendent O’Shea paid tribute to all the agencies and the individual volunteers who participated in the search, which will resume again at first light on Thursday morning.

“The fog did descend in the afternoon and impeded the search efforts,” added Supt O’Shea. “We did manage to get Rescue 117 up here to provide top cover for us, but it did prove challenging.

“We would like to extend our thanks to the local community in Galway, in particular the support that we got and the care and the assistance we got from that community has been overwhelming.

“We had people on the ground from out west, from Spiddal. They came in here and also from here in as far the docks. We had 120 people who arrived here alone at this one location. And I would safely say we had a similar volume of people out in Spiddal, more people on the Prom in Salthill. The response from the community was massive and we want to reaffirm our thanks to the local community.

“We will expand the search tomorrow if we have to,” added Supt O’Shea.

Silverstrand Beach is a popular beach in Galway located between Salthill and Barna.

Galway Civil Defence have set up a command and control unit at Silverstrand and Gardai have appealed to volunteer searchers to register their participation at this unit before they start.

“Weather conditions are forecast to be challenging and personal safety is paramount,” said a Garda spokesperson.

Volunteers have been combing the shoreline on foot since first light while others are using drones, jet-skis and kayaks in the search for the missing woman. Other volunteers have been arriving at the search site with warm food and drinks.