THE community of Ardara is in mourning after the body of a local man missing for three days was recovered from the River Liffey in Dublin.
Conal Gildea, who was just 24, went missing on a night out in the capital last Friday after leaving friends to go to a cash machine. He never returned.
Gardai say his body was recovered yesterday. An investigation into his death is underway.
Mr Gildea comes from a highly respected family in the community. He has been described by one friend on social media as ‘the salt of the earth’.
Another described him as a “joy of a lad with everything to live for, excelling at everything he turned his hand to, we are left stunned and speechless by the loss of him, words can never really say what he meant to one and all. Just to say that all our lives will be very much the poorer without you.”
Conal had recently qualified as a plumber and was a highly respected member of the local gaelic football team, achieving great success at under-age level.
He was a club mate of the late Tomas Maguire who died in a tragic road traffic accident in Australia
Huge sympathy is being extended to Conal’s parents Tony and Anita, brothers Hugh and Anthony and sisters, Marie, Bridget, Anne and Sarah.