A man in his 40s has died after getting into difficulty in the water off the coast of Co Clare.
Emergency services were called to Fanore Beach at around 9.30pm last night following reports of two swimmers in difficulty.
One of those in jeopardy managed to get back to the shore, but the other swimmer had to be rescued from the water by the Shannon-based Rescue 115 helicopter.
He was airlifted to University Hospital Galway in a critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
In a statement, Clare County Council extended condolences to the man's family and friends.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy said the towns and villages in the area had been numbed at the death of the well-known member of their community. He described the deceased as a person who had a deep involvement in many aspects of the region's life.
It brings to two the number of fatalities in Irish waters this week.
On Monday evening, a 14-year-old boy drowned after an incident at a beach in Sutton, Co Dublin.
Irish Water Safety today reiterated an appeal to people to exercise caution at all times in the water, particularly with recent warm weather.
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Acting CEO of Water Safety Ireland Roger Sweeney said that people need to be aware of risks before swimming in the sea this summer.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said that people tend to overestimate their ability and underestimate the risks.
Last year, 80 people drowned and the majority of the deaths were during the summer, but on average it is nine deaths a month. In the last ten years, over 1,100 families suffered a drowning tragedy when there were 1,600 road deaths and there are far more road users.
He said that the drowning problem is more of an issue than people think, and is a significant public health issue.
Mr Sweeney said that this year especially, children and adults have not had swimming classes throughout Covid, so their skills will be rusty.
For a lot of people, he said, they will be having their first swim of the year this week, and while they have have been competent before Covid, they need to realise it is a different scenario when swimming in open water.
Lifeguards rescued nearly 500 people last year, returned 500 lost children and administered first aid 7,000 times, he said.
You should not get into the water until you have accessed the risk and looked for the lifeguard, he said.
People have also been urged to be aware of rip currents, and to go to places that are known by local people to be safe, as rip currents are the most common reason people get into difficulties.
