The man and woman who died in a drowning tragedy in County Kerry yesterday evening were brother and sister.
The alarm was raised just after 6pm last night when a man was spotted in difficulty in the sea off Men’s Beach in Ballybunion.
The man was removed from the water by members of Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue and Ballybunion Coast Guard.
Emergency services performed CPR but he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The woman was found in the water during a follow up search, she too was pronounced dead after receiving treatment at the scene.
The man, aged in his 50s, was from Roscommon, while his 62-year-old sister had an address in Sweden.
A teenage member of the family was on the beach at the time of the tragedy.
"Shocked beyond belief"
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Sinn Féin Councillor Robert Beasley said people in the area are “shocked beyond belief.”
He said there were around 700 people between both beaches in the area at the time.
“It was only a few minutes before that people were enjoying themselves on the beach, children and parents,” he said.
“As I was going on to the beach, I met a lot of parents and children coming off the beach and they were in a really upset, distressed state.”
He said the beach itself is not viewed as dangerous but conditions were quite rough at the time with a strong breeze.
Ballybunion Beach in County Kerry, 21-04-2017. Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNewsTheir bodies have been taken to University Hospital Kerry for post-mortem examinations.
Kilrush Lifeboat and the Rescue 115 helicopter were all involved in the operation.
Additional reporting form Radio Kerry's Deirdre Walsh.
