Village in shock over missing family
The search for three generations of a family feared drowned in the Irish Sea was today concentrating on an oil slick four miles off the Northern Ireland coast.
Michael Greene, 54, his 32-year-old son and eight-year-old grandson, both also called Michael, were last seen alive on Thursday when they set off on a fishing expedition from Kilkeel, Co Down.
Their small boat, the Tullaghmurry Lass, was due to be decommissioned as part of cutbacks in the fishing industry.
A massive air and sea rescue operation took place yesterday involving more than 250 people in lifeboats, helicopters and around 25 local fishing boats.
However, hopes of recovering the three family members faded last night as the search was called off as darkness fell.
The search was resumed this morning.
Family and friends were puzzled as to how the boat disappeared beneath waters which were calm at the time.
The Tullaghmurry Lass contained modern radio equipment and was in good condition.
The elder man’s brother, Gabriel Greene, was convinced all three were dead.
‘‘It’s so hard to deal with that the wee lad has just gone through his mid-term break,’’ he said.
‘‘His life was just to go out in the boat. All he wanted in his future life was to go to sea.
‘‘For three to go in one go is totally devastating.’’
Alan McVeigh, a crew member in the Kilkeel Lifeboat, said yesterday’s search had been difficult for everyone.
‘‘Initially you hoped that maybe something had gone wrong and the vessel had come into some sort of difficulty and got stranded somewhere,’’ he said.
‘‘But as the day wore on and the more vessels became involved and there was nothing found, it became more sombre.
‘‘It’s hard for the crews and the people out searching as well because most of the people know who the people were.’’
In a tragic twist, it emerged yesterday Mr Greene’s other brother, Hugo, died 17 years ago in a freak accident at Kilkeel Harbour.
He slipped boarding a boat, fell between another and drowned.
The Greene family come from Ballymartin, a close-knit village on the road between Annalong and Kilkeel.
The village has been in a state of shock.
Village postmaster John Charlton, who is also Treasurer of Kilkeel Lifeboat Association, said an air of gloom had enveloped the community.
‘‘It is the only topic of conversation. Everyone is waiting for news,’’ he said.
‘‘People are saying they are basically searching for a wreck. The vibes aren’t good.’’
