Investigations are under way following the death of a diver at an event in Co Donegal yesterday.
The man, 49-year-old Patrick Doran, who was from Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, got into difficulty while on a scheduled dive off the west coast of the county.
Emergency services were alerted to an incident a short distance off shore early yesterday afternoon.
It is understood he took ill and got into difficulty underwater, at around 12:20pm.
The Sligo-based Rescue 118 helicopter was tasked, along with a coast guard boat and shore crews from Killybegs, as well as Ambulance Service personnel and gardaí.
He was assisted by a colleague who was accompanying him on the dive but efforts to revive him, after he was taken from the water, were unsuccessful. Mr Doran was pronounced dead at the scene.
His dive partner, who is in his sixties, was treated by paramedics on shore before being airlifted to University Hospital Galway. The National Hyperbaric Medicine Unit there has a recompression chamber, used to treat decompression sickness, also known as 'the bends’.
The North West Dive Rally, which was scheduled to run throughout the weekend, was cancelled in the aftermath of yesterday’s incident.
Around 100 divers from sub aqua clubs around the country had travelled here for a weekend of activity, in waters just off the Sliabh Liag cliffs.
As visitors and locals process the events that unfolded, there was a hushed silence around the pier in Teileann this afternoon.
Garda divers and local vessels spent some time at the scene of the incident today, as the investigation into the matter continues.
Conditions at sea at the time were said to be quite good, with visibility slightly hampered by misty weather.
Nonetheless, eyewitnesses say the response to a mayday call was implemented rapidly and they have paid tribute to the first responders who attended the scene.
It is expected a post mortem examination will be carried out on the deceased, in an effort to determine the exact cause of the tragedy.
