Investigation reveals date of family drowning tragedy

GARDAÍ are now certain that a mother and her two grown-up children drowned in a north Cork river last Sunday, and not on Monday as first thought.

The bodies of Ita Noonan, aged 49, and her children David, aged 24, and Emma, aged 20, were discovered in the River Awbeg, near the village of Castletownroche, on Bank Holiday Monday.

A large crowd attended their removal last night, from Hawe’s Funeral Home in Charleville to St Andrew’s Church in Kilfinane, County Limerick, including senior gardaí.

Ita Noonan worked for the past eight years as a clerical officer in the Cork North division garda headquarters in Fermoy.

Superintendent Flor Horan, who is leading the investigation, said yesterday that gardaí believe the tragic triple drowning occurred some time after 4pm on Sunday.

Emma, who worked part-time in the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow finished her shift there at 3pm on Sunday and told work colleagues she was going for a swim.

“We have witnesses who saw her Sunday afternoon, but nobody saw her on the Monday,” Supt Horan said.

Witnesses also informed gardaí that they saw towels belonging to the family lying on the river bank at approximately 7pm on Sunday. But there was no sign of the family.

“We are now preparing a file for an inquest. We expect that to be held in the next couple of weeks. We are still awaiting the full results of the post mortem,” Supt Horan added.

Emma had been studying accountancy at Cork Institute of Technology, while David recently got a job with a scaffolding firm.

A canoeist from Kilmallock discovered David’s body in the river on Monday afternoon. When emergency services arrived at the scene they quickly discovered the body of his mother. Several hours later they found Emma’s body.

A large number of gardaí are expected at the funeral mass in Kilfinane today, led by Assistant Commissioner Ray McAndrew and Chief Supt Michael McGarry. The chief mourner will be David Noonan, who was separated from his late wife, Ita.

Requiem mass will be held at St Andrew’s Church at 12.30pm. David and Emma will be buried afterwards at the local cemetery. Ita’s body will be taken to Newland’s Cross in Dublin where it will be cremated.