Families endure agonising wait

THE vigil continued on the pierside from first light.

Family members of the five men feared drowned after their herring boat went down off the coast of Hook Head in stormy conditions on Wednesday evening huddled together as they awaited news.

As the day wore on, hopes faded for the safe return of skipper of the Pere Charles, Tom Hennessy, 32, along with his uncle Pat Hennessy, 51 — both originally from Co Kerry but living in Dunmore East for several years — and other crew members Billy O’Connor, from Dunmore East, 50, Pat Coady, 27, originally from Wexford but also living in Dunmore East, and Andriy Dyrin, 32, a Ukrainian national living in Waterford city for the last three months