Ireland

Off-duty Garda officer dies in weekend diving incident

The off-duty Garda, who died in a weekend diving accident has been named locally as father-of-four Dave Hearne
The off-duty Garda, who died in a weekend diving accident has been named locally as father-of-four Dave Hearne The off-duty Garda, who died in a weekend diving accident has been named locally as father-of-four Dave Hearne

AN off-duty garda has died following a weekend diving incident.

The body of the officer, named locally as father-of-four Dave Hearne, was recovered from the water off the coast of Co Wexford at around noon on Saturday.

Mr Hearne, who was in his 40s, was among members of the Hook Sub Aqua Club who were taking part in a recreational dive several miles off Hook Head when he got into difficulty.

He was airlifted to hospital in a critical condition, but later died.

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out and a file will be prepared for the coroner.

Mr Hearne was originally from Fethard, Co Tipperary, but had been living and working in Waterford, where he served in the Roads Policing Unit. An accomplished diver, he was also a former member of the Garda Water Unit and received a number of awards for bravery in relation to previous rescue missions.

A host of tributes have been paid to the Garda officer, with Waterford City River Rescue describing him as a "true hero".

"Dave was a well respected member of An Garda Siochána, who was highly decorated and was the recipient of several awards for bravery. A true hero," they said in an online post.

Mr Hearne's was the second death of a serving Garda officer in as many days after the body of John McCallion (48) was found on roadside close to his home in Swinford, Co Mayo on Friday evening.

Mr McCallion's body was found beside his bicycle after he had gone out for a cycle.

A postmortem is due to be carried out to determine the cause of death. His brother, Robbie, also a Garda, died in a road traffic collision in 2009 while on duty in Co Donegal.