THE closely-knit community in Glengad will come
together this morning to lay Eddie Doherty to rest
after 12 noon Requiem Mass in Aughaclay. Mr Doherty
lost his life on Monday when his fishing vessel, The
Jennifer, hit rocks while fishing off the north
Inishowen coast. His nephew Robert McLaughlin, 41,
remains missing after Monday’s tragic events and an
air, sea and coastline search continued yesterday in
difficult weather conditions.
The men left Portmore Pier, Malin Head, in the 26ft
vessel shortly after 7am on Monday and the alarm was
raised at 10.45am when another fisherman spotted
Eddie Doherty’s body floating amid debris close to
the coast.
Coast Guard area officer, Charlie
Cavanagh from Greencastle discusses the search and
recovery plan yesterday with Buncrana Garda
Inspector David Kelly and Danny Keenan of the True
North Diving Club in Malin at the search
co-ordination centre based in Glengad Community
Development Association building.
Extensive searches by
RNLI and Coast Guard personnel in difficult weather
conditions on Monday, Tuesday and yesterday have so
far failed to locate Robert's body. Charlie Cavanagh,
officer in charge with Greencastle Coast Guard, said
upwards on 200 people were involved in the search
yesterday including a Coast Guard helicopter from
Sligo, Naval Service divers and members of the
Inishowen Sub Aqua Club, and fishing vessels from
Malin Head, Glengad, Culdaff and Greencastle.
A father of seven, Eddie Doherty (65) was an
experienced fisherman but his family had been
touched by tragedy before. He lost three nephews
when the Carrickatine was lost in 1995, while
another of Robert’s brothers, Shaun, was drowned in
a fishing tragedy in the south of the county in
1974.
“We’ve given up hope of finding Robert alive,”
Martin McDermott, Eddie Doherty’s son-in-law said in
an interview with Highland Radio yesterday. “The
main hope now is to recover his body to get some
kind of close to it. It’s vitally important to the
family that we find Robert’s body – it’s always
open-ended when a body isn’t recovered."
The
memorial at Portaleen Pier, Glengad, to
all the men from the area who died at
sea from 1936.
Mr McDermott paid
tribute to the local community in Glengad who have
rallied around the McLaughlin (Jackie) and Doherty (Liza)
families. “We live in a brilliant community and
everyone has rallied together,” he said. “Glengad
has always been like that and people have been more
that good. But it has been a tough few days, and
it’s going to be tougher.”
Eddie Doherty’s funeral Mass will leave his late
residence this morning for 12 noon Requiem Mass in
St Patrick’s Church, Aughaclay. He will be buried
afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. To read more
click here
.
