Well-known Tipperary GAA player dies tragically in Australia

A well-known GAA player from Tipperary has died in a tragic drowning accident in Australia.

Martin Costigan, 28, from Templetuohy in Tipperary, was with his brother and two friends in the sea off the coast of Perth yesterday, when a freak wave carried him out to sea and he subsequently drowned.

It is believed that Costigan was not a very good swimmer and his body was eventually found further down the coast after an initial search by lifeguards in the vicinity proved fruitless.

Speaking about the tragedy, Stirling police Senior Sergeant Neville Patterson Stirling said: "Perth is going through some very unfavourably hot weather conditions at the moment, in the region of 40C, and just after 4pm we were alerted to the fact that there was a swimmer in trouble on Scarborough Beach.

"We believe the Irish gentleman, who wasn't a very good swimmer, had waded out to chest height in an unpatrolled swimming zone, when his friends reported seeing him being hit by a wave and losing his footing. His friends tried to assist him, but lost him in the wash."

Costigan comes from a large family in Templetuohy and was widely regarded for his exploits with the Moyne-Templetuohy hurling and football teams.

One local said of the news: “You couldn’t say enough nice things about him and the family he is from. There will be a massive funeral as they are hugely respected.”

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.