Trawler tragedies - The cost of a dangerous occupation

As FAMILIES and friends of the seven fishermen who perished in awesome seas waited in growing hopelessness, the country shares in their appalling and dreadful anguish.

President Mary McAleese reflected the despair and enormous sadness felt throughout the country at what she described as the “terrible toll” visited upon seafaring communities this week.

It was, indeed, a terrible toll, borne with a quiet dignity by those who waited anxiously at piers for loved ones as hope faded with each day that dawned.