Search for fishermen to resume today

THE families of two fishermen missing off the Dublin coast face another agonising day of uncertainty after widespread searches failed to locate the men.

Ronan Browne, aged 26, and David Gilsenan, aged 41, have been missing since Friday when they failed to return from a lobster fishing trip off the coast near Skerries in the north of the county.

Since then large-scale searches have been carried out for the two men, who are both married.

A small boat which was located on Saturday off Clogherhead in Co Louth belongs to the two men. The 5-metre open-top vessel, named Lady Linda in honour of Mr Browne’s wife, who he married last September, was overturned when it was found.

Shortly after the search began some items of clothing were found near St Patrick’s Island, about 12km from where the boat was located.

It is feared the men drowned after the boat capsized near Colt Island and that it then drifted to where it was found.

Searches are being conducted by the coast guard, gardaí, the RNLI lifeboat and local fishermen, who were assisted by a Defence Forces CASA aircraft.

The area being searched stretches from Greenore in Co Louth to Ireland’s Eye off the coast of Dublin, with long stretches of coastline also being examined by search teams.

A spokesman for the coast guard said yesterday that an area stretching from Dundalk to Howth had been searched. The search is due to be resumed this morning, having continued until dark. A team of naval divers and the Garda underwater unit will join Coast Guard crews, RNLI volunteers and local boats going back out on the water.

Teams including gardaí will also be tasked to comb beaches and shore lines from 7am.

A spokeswoman for the RNLI said the search was called off for the evening after weather conditions deteriorated.

Mr Browne and Mr Gilsenan are described as experienced seamen. The men, both originally from Skerries, are also qualified marine engineers.

Mr Gilsenan and his wife Suzanne, along with their two children, aged six and nine, live in Rush in north Co Dublin.

The two friends had been due to return to Skerries at 6.30pm on Friday but when they failed to do so the alarm was raised and searches got underway.