Mother loses second son in sea tragedy

IN a double fishing tragedy yesterday a heartbroken Donegal mother lost her younger brother and a second son to the sea.

While the body of 65-year-old father-of-seven Eddie (Liza) Doherty was recovered from the sea yesterday, the search will continue today for his nephew, Robert (Jackie) McLaughlin, a 41-year-old single man.

Both men lived less than 100 yards from each other at Ross Head in the fishing village of Glengad, a townland overlooking the sea in the north of the Inishowen peninsula. They had gone out fishing from Portmore Pier, Malin Head, in Eddie’s 26ft fibre-glass boat, Jennifer, at 7am. The boat got into difficulties sometime before 10.45am when Eddie Doherty’s body, along with a scattering of debris, was spotted in the water by another fisherman.

Their families say they cannot understand how the tragedy happened, stressing that both were highly experienced fishermen.

This was the first year uncle and nephew had fished together.

Robert McLaughlin’s distraught 81-year-old mother, Mary, with whom he lived, was last night being comforted by her other children as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of both a brother and a son.

“Robert was the best son ever and Eddie was my youngest brother. I don’t know what we’re going to do,” said Mary McLaughlin.

The mother-of-13 lost another son, Shaun, 21, to a fishing tragedy in Killybegs, in 1974. Her daughter, Eilish, described Robert as a fun-loving younger brother who was most content when fishing.

“He fished all his life. That is all he knew and all he would ever do. He was a great storyteller and he loved his old cat. He was very good to our mother and always helped her with the garden,” said Eilish.

Eddie Doherty’s wife, Marian, was also struggling to come to terms with the loss of a devoted husband and father.

“Eddie was a very experienced fisherman, he was a great father and grandfather and we will miss him so, so much,” she said.