Very sad news.
A man in his early 20s has died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the Abbey River in Limerick city centre. His identity has been confirmed as Aaron Buckley, a former soldier. He was originally from Co. Offaly.
Buckley’s body was recovered by the Limerick Land Search Team on Monday afternoon. They confirmed the sad news on Facebook.
“Unit received a call out at 17:10 to the Abbey River this afternoon by a member of the public who observed something in the water. Our shoreline team responded to the call and on arrival on scene our colleagues from Limerick Marine Search And Rescue Service had launched their rescue boat and made a recovery in the water.”
Buckley’s GAA club Erin Rovers led tributes for the young man on social media, writing: “Aaron was a very talented young footballer and was part of the team which won the intermediate title in 2017. Not alone was he a very talented footballer, he was also a very down to earth man who was a always in good form and had a smile on his face.
“He will be a huge loss around the club not just for the football but for the man he was. He will be sadly missed by all his team mates, committee members, supporters and from all who knew him. May he rest in peace.”
Ken Smollen, a local councillor from Buckley’s native Offaly, wrote: “He will always be remembered as a kind young man with a passion for sport and who served as a member of the Irish Defence Forces. I wish to thank Officer Buckley for his service to our country.”
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