Body of student, 19, found in river

A body recovered from the water in Galway City yesterday is that of a missing student from Nenagh, Co Tipperary.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly, who is also from Nenagh, immediately sympathised with the family of 19-year-old Brian Gubbins.

Mr Kelly tweeted: “My thoughts and prayers today are with the Gubbins family. RIP Brian. Thanks to his friends and neighbours from Nenagh who took part in search.”

Local councillor Seamie Morris said his heart went out to the bereaved family. “Another young man gone too early from his life,” said Mr Morris. “I want to thank his friends and the authorities who helped in the search in Galway, particularly his hurling and camogie colleagues.”

Family and friends had been leading daily searches across Galway City for the teenager. He had not been seen since the early hours of Thursday. He had gone to Carbon Nightclub on Eglinton St, Galway City, before midnight on Wednesday and was last spotted a short distance away in Upper Abbeygate St just before 1am on Thursday. The alarm was raised when he failed to turn up for a bus back home.

Gardaí in Galway had been poring over CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to trace his movements since then.

A student of journalism and new media at the University of Limerick, Brian was in the company of college friends on the night out. Many of them had been turning up daily to join with Brian’s family in the searches.

The discovery of the body in the River Corrib at Bridge St was made shortly after 10am yesterday. The remains were removed to Galway University Hospityal for a postmortem examination.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Gort recovered a body from a river in the south Galway town. It is believed to be that of a local woman reported missing on Saturday.