Renowned Galway fishing family hit by double tragedy

The deaths of the father and son have shocked the fishing community, Claddagh neighbours and friends throughout Galway city and beyond.

The Galway family mourning the death of a fisherman on Monday afternoon has been hit with a second tragedy.

Tom Oliver, a member of one of Galway’s oldest fishing families from the Claddagh, lost his life in a fishing accident off the shore in Salthill on Monday afternoon.

His family has been plunged into further grief after his father Martin, who was fishing with him when the accident happened, died overnight.

The deaths of the father and son have shocked the fishing community, Claddagh neighbours and friends throughout Galway city and beyond.

The Oliver family have been renowned fishermen and seafarers for generations, many of whom served as lifeboat volunteers down through the years.

Two members of the extended family, Patrick Oliver (38) and his 18-year-old son Morgan, were hailed heroes in August after they rescued cousins Sara Feeney (23) and Ellen Glynn (17).

They were feared lost after they drifted for over 15 hours overnight on paddleboards on Galway Bay before the Olivers found them off the Aran Islands after correctly working out where they might be.

Patrick is a first cousin of Tom Oliver who died on Monday and Martin is his uncle.

The death of 37-year old Tom Oliver on Monday afternoon caused widespread shock. It is believed that he may have become entangled in one of the lines attached to their fishing pots and became submerged.

He had gone out of Galway port on Monday with his father Martin to tend to fishing pots in an area off Blackrock in Salthill and Silverstrand.

The father and son, like the other members of their extended family, were a regular sight fishing in the bay.

News of the overnight death of Martin Oliver spread quickly throughout Galway this morning as family, neighbours and friends came to terms with the double tragedy.

A note on www.rip.ie stated that funeral arrangements for the father and son would be announced later.