Clare woman suffered violent end, say gardaí investigating body find

Gardaí investigating the death of Co Clare woman Deirdre McCarthy said today that she suffered a violent end.

A post mortem examination on the body of the 43-year-old woman has not yet finished, but while gardaí cannot yet state the cause of her death, they have confirmed they a're treating the investigation as seriously a murder inquiry.

Deirdre McCarthy was last seen at her home in Ballyvaughan on Sunday night.

Her body was recovered on Fanore Strand yesterday morning following an intensive search.

Gardaí say they believe the answers to what happened to the single guesthouse worker lie within the shocked North Clare community. He appealed to anyone with information to contact Ennistymon garda station.

"We are satisfied that she died as a result of violence," said Garda Superintendant John Gilligan.

"While we're not specifically naming the type of investigation this is, we are treating this investigation at this point in time with the same seriousness as a murder investigation."