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The Missing Irish People website (www.missing.ie
) was established in May 2000 by Fr Aquinas Duffy, following the disappearance
of his cousin, Limerick Man Aengus Shanahan. In 2001, Mr David Linehan from
Cork requested that the details of his missing father be placed on the website.
His father was subsequently found deceased by his family. It was shortly after
this tragedy that David Linehan and Cormac Cremin and Fr Aquinas Duffy (who
continues to run the website) and others set about campaigning for a helpline
and for better resources for the families of missing people.
A link up of all the families on the website
was formed so that we could keep in touch with each other or put people who
had someone missing in touch with some of the families. A limited helpline was
also set up with an oncall paging system. After much campaigning and many media
interviews, a state aided helpline for the families of the missing was established
by victim support an dran for two and a half years with the help of a grant
form the dept of Justice. It ceased on 31st March 2005 as a result of funding
being withdrawn by the Dept of Justice. It is good to report however that in
April 2009, Missing in Ireland Support Services (a new organsiation set up to
support the families of the missing) succeeded in re-establishing the National
Missing Persons Helpline through grant aid and charitable donations. The helpline
number which is a local call from anywhere in the Republic of Ireland is 1890-442
552. Their website, www.missingpersons.ie,
also carries appeals for people missing from or in Ireland and whose cases have
been reported to the Gardai.
The Missing Persons Association was formed
in 2002 to bring together groups and people whose aim is to locate missing persons.
There are eight members in the MPA. We can help with both the search for missing
people and also to highlight the issue of missing persons. We are available
to the families of the missing people to offer practical advice and support.
The MPA now has its own rescue
boat in Cork and an experienced search crew in Cork. We are able to do land
and river searches in conjunction with Mallow Search and Rescue and other experienced
search groups.
The MPA and Mallow Search and Rescue will
respond to those who request our services, be they members of a family of a
missing person, or other search and rescue organisations or state services.
We are associated and linked with the official
website of Missing Irish People, www.missing.ie, and can offer on request the
services of our colleague, Fr Aquinas Duffy, the web master of the website.
Our services are free of charge. There are
no paid members in the MPA as all our members are voluntary. We rely on public
donations for the running of the organisation.
Call outs for our services can be made by
phoning David Linehan C/O Missing Persons Association at 087-9609885
For more information write to
Mr Cormac Cremin, c/o 3 The Gables, Youghal, Co Cork or contact can be made
through this website.
Mallow Search and Rescue is a voluntary organisation
based in Mallow, Co Cork founded in 1983. They are involved in water based missing
persons searches, as well as escort boats for water based events. They have
been working in conjunction with their colleagues in the Missing Persons Association
since 2001. They currently have over thirty members, ranging from ten divers
to fifteen boat handlers to support personnel. They presently have four boats.
One seven meter Rib and one six meter Rib, one Zodiac and one smaller inflatable.
They have recently received a donation of a "C Max sonar side scan sonar"
by the Brian O'Tuama fund, based in Ballyvourney at a cost of 28000 euro. They
will shortly be undergoing training on the operation of same. They are optimistic
that they will be in a position to put the side scan into use in searches by
the end of July 2011. The organisation holds an annual fundraising raft race
along the Blackwater river, from Mallow to Killavullen. All donations go towards
the upkeep of the base and the equipment. The unit is a registered charity and
all donations are greatly appreciated. They are always aiming to expand the
organistion. There are no paid members in Mallow Search and Rescue or the Missing
Persons Association as all members are voluntary.
Call out for their services can be made by
phoning John Wolfe C/O Mallow Search and Rescue at 087-6353850, David O'Donoghue
at 083-3021511 or Kieran Horgan at 087-2230920 or David Linehan c/o Missing
Persons Association at 087-98609885.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mallow-Search-and-Rescue/142008049184077
The new side scan sonar donated by the Brian
O'Tuama fund was successful in locating a missing person in a recent search
at Rooves Bridge in Coachford Co Cork. This is the first time the sonar was
used on a search and it located the missing person. The deceased person was
recovered by divers from Mallow Search and Rescue in a matter of hours. We feel
that this piece of equipment will greatly reduce search times and thus assist
the families of missing persons. Mallow Search and Rescue and The Missing Persons'
Association would like to express our gratitude to the O'Tuama family for their
kind donation.
Mallow Search and Rescue and the Missing
Persons' Association will respond to those who request their services, be they
members of the family of a missing person, other search and rescue organisations
or State Services. Their services are free of charge. They expect that there
will be a high demand made on their services using the C Max Sonar Side Scan.
Accordingly, they would hope that requests that require long distance travelling
and over night stay by them, including fuel, accomodation, and food would be
provided by those Search and rescue organisations and State bodies when they
request the services of the Sonar.
Call out for their services can be made by
phoning John Wolfe C/O Mallow Search and Rescue at 087-6353850, David O'Donoghue
at 083-3021511 or Kieran Horgan at 087-2230920 or David Linehan c/o Missing
Persons Association at 087-98609885.
" It is very important to note that the successful
use of the side scan sonar will greatly depend on the length of time a drowning
victim has been in the water. This will be explained upon contact with the above"
See photo of Brian
O'Tuama's family, and other photos: photo
1,photo2, photo3,
photo4.
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