Search for Kieran McAree DAY 60

Funeral Arrangements: Kieran’s remains have arrived home this evening, Thursday, February 19th and will repose at his home in Stramore until removal at 12.15pm on Saturday to arrive at St. Patrick’s Church, Corracrin, for Requiem Mass at 1.00pm followed by burial in the adjoining graveyard. It would be nice to leave the house Private on Saturday morning to allow the family some time alone with him. The body was released in Belfast in late afternoon after formal identification and Post Mortem.
Directions: St. Patrick’s Church, Corracrin, is situated about 2 mile south of Emyvale on the main N2 between Monaghan Town and Emyvale. Reserved seating will be marked for family and special visitors and your cooperation with ushers would be appreciated.
The house is to the left just after the Church on the Monaghan side - turn left off the Main N2, at the crossroads turn left and continue straight until you come to the house. However a shuttle bus service is in operation between the Car Park at St. Patrick’s and the house and this is the advised method of going to the house because car parking facilities at the house are very limited.

On the morning of the funeral there will be a bus leaving from Tully GAA Car Park to Corracrin at 12.00noon and back afterwards and this is an option for for local people to cut out the parking requirements at the Church.

Day 64 and Final Day: We recovered a body from the Round O today just before 1.00pm and we believe it to be Kieran, though official confirmation will not be issued until after the PM which we hope will be tomorrow morning. Hugh McKenna was walking the far bank of the Round O, where many of you walked, and he spotted something in the water moving back up the river. Jack and Enda came to the scene and confirmed it was a body. The PSNI were informed and they arrived and recovered the body. Ryan, Sean and myself assisted the PSNI with the recovery from the water. When we returned to the Jetty there were tears of joy and tears of sorrow and a total mix of emotions. The family was taken to the Police station and informed. Later the body was removed to Belfast for Post Mortem. Relief was the experience of those who had been with the search on a regular basis and glad that the wait was over for the family. They will now be given the space to mourn and the support of the community will continue. Further details later.

Day 63: Searching continued today, Tuesday February 17th with seven boats, and Roisin in the kayak. Roisin calls every day and does a round of the Bay in her Kayak. Some days her brother joins her. Thanks to both of you. Walkers were few but those who were there did an excellent job. Colin and his camera returned to Liverpool tonight after spending six days with us. We are extremely grateful to him for giving us so much time and although we are disappointed that the Camera did not solve our problem we can at least eliminate some areas from the search. Thanks Colin for becoming one of the search family and we wish your business every success and prosperity. Andrew was not with us today but we hear he was away testing a new floating trailer for boats. We received an extension to our canteen in the form of a steel cabin for tables and chairs meaning that we can eat in more comfort protected from the elements and this is all thanks to Bob. Our new canteen is working great and we have plenty of food for everyone and you do not have to take food with you. Pay it a visit or the girls will be disappointed. We have also received great help from the Enniskillen St. Vincent de Paul and from Sean Rooney. Jack had a long day on the water and then tried to steal our County Football manager from us but he did not succeed. Searching is tough, cold and frustrating work and when you spend time searching and see nothing you feel helpless and feel that it was a waste of time. Unfortunately that is the situation but searching must be ongoing to get the result we all want. To help cope with that on a daily basis we need some lighthearted fun to keep the spirits up and thankfully we can have that.

Day 62: Just another of those days at the Round O when one keeps hoping but the hope never turns to reality and you wait for the next day. A very cold start with sleet and hailstones did not deter the brave from going out on the water. Colin McK was away down stream first followed closely by Jack. Then Paul and Ryan, Brian and Pat headed off. Pat had a new passenger today and it will be interesting to see if one will trade up or the other trade down. Henry’s boat was the HQ for Colin Doyle with the camera and more areas were looked into without any trace of Kieran but at least we can eliminate those areas. Sniffer dogs were used today and they indicated interest in three areas. Two of these were examined with no result and the third will be searched in the morning, even though it was searched previously. Again thanks to all who did the walking today and especially to those who searched the far-away areas. If needs be we hope to organise another coordinated boat search this coming Saturday, beginning at 9.30am sharp. Boat searching along the shores has become difficult because of the drop in water levels but hopefully canoes, jetskis and kayaks will be able to negotiate the shallows. All boats will be given a specific shore line and open water and grid searches will be carried out to cover all areas.

Day 61: Nothing new to report from the Round O today. Numbers were small but again we tried to cover all the areas recommended to us. Eight boats with crews, four canoeists/kayers and about 20 walkers were involved in the search. Colin Doyle covered another big area with the ROV camera but so far he has only seen debris. Colin will be with us again tomorrow. The PSNI carried out their daily search as well. It was bitterly cold early but after lunch the rain moved in and temperatures rose a little. Power was restored to our canteen, thanks to the Council, and the food served was appreciated by all. We appreciated our chat with Bob and Avril, as we are always open to suggestions from local people, and hopefully we can discuss the idea further tomorrow. One man, who has never got a mention, is Tommy McMahon, formerly from Scotstown area but now living near Tempo. He has become a tremendous resource for us and is a powerhouse of information and contacts - Thanks Tommy.

Day 60: Round O was quiet today. Seven boats with crews and a handful of walkers tried to cover all the shores. Meanwhile in the vicinity of Round O divers from Boyne Rescue, led by Keith, dived in three areas and this means that we can eliminate those areas, thanks to them. Colin Doyle, with his underwater equipment, has completed the river/lake from above the point of entry down past the jetties and we are now sure that we can eliminate those areas too. Colin will be with us again tomorrow with the opposite side of the bay as a priority. We are delighted as his expertise is narrowing our options, which is what we require. Alphadive members, Mick and Enda, investigated two areas of interest and eliminated them, and they also played a big part in surface searching. Once again the weather temperature rose and we need it to rise a few more degrees for conditions to be right. A big surge in demand in the canteen during late afternoon caused a ‘black-out’ but there was enough hot water to cater for all. Thankfully the Fermanagh Council hopes to have rectified the situation for morning. Colin McKenna with his boat was restricted somewhat today as his up/down switch stopped working but a replacement was found and all should be well for tomorrow.