Galway drowning sparks new water-safety appeal

Irish Water Safety is appealing to people to stay safe around water today following the drowning of a man in Galway yesterday.

The 36-year-old Polish national got into difficulty whilst swimming at Ballyquirke lake near Moycullen at around 8pm yesterday evening.

With temperatures set to remain high today, thousands are expected to take to the water to cool down.

CEO of Irish Water Safety John Leech is warning people that water temperatures are still very cold which can also pose dangers.

"Water temperature at the moment is about 9o," he said. "At sea, it's about 10-11o, so you've got a serious situation in terms of cold shock and hypothermia.

"The cold shock is when you go into the water initially. You can end up sort of grasping for breath and feeling totally out of control, bringing some water into the lungs and unfortunately drowning very, very quickly."