The alarm was raised at 6pm on Sunday evening.
The bodies of three men were discovered off the coast of South Kerry.
Local authorities were informed that the bow of a boat was seen jutting out of the water.
RTE News reports that the Coast Guard helicopter, Shannon Rescue 115, Valentia lifeboat, Coast Guard teams from Valentia and Iveragh along with local gardaí and local drivers responded.
The Shannon helicopter crew recovered the first body close to Coonanna pier, and subsequently recovered the bodies of the two other men several hundred metres from the shoreline.
All three bodies have been transported to nearby hospitals, and all are believed to be from eastern Europe.
A garda investigation is now under way.
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