PHOTOS - Severe Flooding Ireland - October 2011 slideshow
A rescue effort has cost a 25-year-old off-duty police officer and Wicklow county footballer his life as storms lash the East coast of Ireland.
Ciaran Jones was swept away close to his Wicklow home as he tried to warn motorists to avoid a bridge under danger of collapse.
His brother and a friend watched in horror as the young officer was swept into the bulging River Liffey as he tried to help people caught in dangerous floods at Ballysmuttan Bridge near his Manor Kilbride residence.
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READ MORE:
Floods claim second life as body found in Dublin basement
More news on Irish weather here
Massive storms lash Ireland as severe weather warning given
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Ciaran’s body was found early on Tuesday morning, some 12 hours after he was pulled into the river while trying to aid a motorist at risk of becoming stranded as the bridge looked ready to collapse.
Witnesses described how officer Jones, based at the Stepaside station in Dublin, jumped from his own car to warn oncoming motorists of the danger.
The Irish Coast Guard, the Garda (police) helicopter and mountain and river rescue teams joined Jones’ colleagues in the search before his body was discovered at Ballyward Bridge, near Manor Kilbride.
The Jones family are being supported by friends and colleagues of the dead officer. His parents are on their way back to Ireland after a holiday abroad.
A prominent GAA player with the local Kilbride team, Jones was a member of the Wicklow squad managed by Mick O’Dwyer for the past four years.
8 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.jacersagain | Oct 26, 2011, 07:07 PM EDT
Indeed, God bless and rest him. My brother emailed me to say the young man was a grandson in his woman's family. Their story is that he was in his own car near the bridge, saw the danger and upon seeing another car's headlights in the teeming fogging rain heading towards the bridge, got out of his car and walked forward to warn the oncoming driver, stepped onto the torrenting Liffey bank and it gave away, sweeping him out of sight. RIP, Brave Young Responsible Man.
Brolaur | Oct 25, 2011, 01:34 PM EDT
May he rest in peace. My sincere condolences to his family and his fellow Gárdaí. A real loss to our nation. A real HERO taken from us but also a beacon of courage to us all.
JBRAFTREE | Oct 25, 2011, 01:30 PM EDT
The Lord will take care of him as Gard Jones did the people.
Sparklet | Oct 25, 2011, 01:19 PM EDT
God love him. :( Condolences to his family. Don't know how you deal with something like that. Something so completely unexpected - the shock must be horrendous.
cillowen | Oct 25, 2011, 09:54 AM EDT
a brave man doing his job - sad beyond all measure. Our condolences to his loved ones and the mates he played and worked with.
pugsmom | Oct 25, 2011, 09:45 AM EDT
So sad....condolences to his family and friends.
luckysusan | Oct 25, 2011, 09:32 AM EDT
A brave and selfless young man. Our condolences to his family.
antoman | Oct 25, 2011, 08:47 AM EDT
R.I.P.