A BODY HAS been recovered from the southern shore of Galway Bay in North Clare by Irish Coast Guard personnel.

While a formal identification of the body has yet to take place, a major search had been ongoing for University of Galway student Conor Harrington from Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan who was reported missing on 15 October.

The 20-year-old was last seen at or near the Salmon Weir pedestrian and cycle bridge near Galway Cathedral at around 9:30pm on that Wednesday evening.

Galway RLNI inshore lifeboat (ILB) was tasked to the area along with Galway City Fire and Rescue Service, National Ambulance Service and Gardaí.

The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, was also requested to assist with the search while the Costello Bay unit of the Irish Coast Guard joined the operation.

The next morning, and over the following days, the search intensified with Civil Defence units from Galway, Mayo and Clare being tasked along with the Cleggan unit of the Coast Guard.

The Aran Islands RNLI all-weather lifeboat (ALB) and Oranmore Maree Coastal Search Unit also joined the search deploying boats and jetskis. Several local vessels offered assistance and carried out searches of Galway Bay while other voluntary agencies also helped with the effort.

Land search teams walked shoreline areas including the south Galway and North Clare coastlines while Irish Coast Guard and Civil Defence drone search teams carried aerial searches over the past week.

The Coast Guard’s Shannon-based rotor (Rescue 115) and fixed wing aircraft (Rescue 120F) joined the operation on several days while the search continued.

This morning, at around 10:30am, the Irish Coast Guard received a report of a body on the shoreline in North Clare. Watch officers at the Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island in Kerry alerted the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and Gardaí.

Coast Guard volunteers and Gardaí responded to the scene at Gleninagh on the southern shore of Galway Bay between Ballyvaughan and Black Head in Co Clare. Coast Guard shore times were due to carry out a coastal search in that area today.

Coast Guard personnel made their way to the location and recovered the remains to a local farmhouse to await the arrival an undertaker.

The body was removed by hearse to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination and formal identification will take place.

The search operation was coordinated on the ground by Galway Gardaí while the overall land, air and sea effort was managed by watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre.