A young man from Louth tragically drowned on his first swim in Balbriggan, Co Dublin after he switched from his usual bathing spot in Malahide due to the water being “too shallow,” an inquest heard.

The Dublin District Coroner Court was told that the body of 19 year old Luke McAuliffe, from Loughanmore, Gyles Quay, Dundalk, Co Louth, was recovered from the water north of Balbriggan by an Irish Coast Guard search team on April 30, 2024. The deceased’s father, Alan McAuliffe, contacted the police after becoming worried when his son failed to catch a train they had arranged for him to take from Dundalk railway station on the evening of April 30, 2024.

Mr McAuliffe initially thought his son had either missed his train or fallen asleep on it when he didn’t arrive as planned. However, his concern grew when another train arrived and departed without any sign of his son.

After tracing his son’s location to Balbriggan via his Snapchat account, Mr McAuliffe contacted the local police. He informed the inquest that the police told him a body matching his son’s description had been discovered near the Martello tower to the north of Balbriggan.

Responding to questions from coroner Clare Keane, Mr McAuliffe revealed that his son had been swimming alone in Malahide for a few weeks prior to the incident. However, he said his son did not enjoy swimming in Malahide because the water was “too shallow.”, reports Dublin Live.

He suspected his son may have gone for a swim in Balbriggan as the local gym he occasionally visited was small and possibly overcrowded. Describing his son as “a fair swimmer” with “no fear of water”, he said Luke would often spontaneously jump into the sea, stripping down to his boxer shorts.

Mr McAuliffe portrayed Luke as a typical 19 year old, full of life and thoroughly enjoying his work as an apprentice electrician. At the time of his death, Luke was attending a training college near Howth Junction in north Dublin.

Mr McAuliffe was unaware of any issues in his son’s life, noting that Luke had a girlfriend and was planning a holiday and his future. Another witness, Gerard McKenzie, expressed concern about seeing a swimmer in the water near the lighthouse at Balbriggan Harbour.

As a regular swimmer, although not in Balbriggan, Mr McKenzie stated he wouldn’t have swum at that location due to the windy conditions and “choppy” water with large waves that were “very high” where Mr McAuliffe was. He recalled that there were no other swimmers in the area that day.

Mr McKenzie initially only saw the swimmer’s head above water but then noticed him lying on his back with his arms outstretched, appearing “tranquil.”

At that point, he relaxed, assuming the swimmer was alive and enjoying the water. However, Mr McAuliffe raised the alarm shortly after noticing that the swimmer had disappeared from his view near Balbriggan beach.

During an inquest, it was revealed he called emergency services upon discovering abandoned clothing on Balbriggan Harbour pier, which had no identification.

Garda Ciara MacPhee testified that a body was discovered in the water by the Martello tower, north of Balbriggan Harbour around 7.20pm. A jacket containing a phone and wallet was fished out from the sea near Bell’s Beach, and they were later confirmed to belong to the deceased.

Speaking to the coroner, Garda MacPhee said that the area where Mr McAuliffe had gone swimming was a common spot for swimmers in Balbriggan, although she noted the presence of a current and breezy conditions resulting in choppy waters at the time.

The postmortem found that Mr McAuliffe had drowned without any influence of alcohol or drugs, leading Dr Keane to declare a verdict of accidental death. The coroner extended her deepest sympathies to the bereaved family, acknowledging the “absolute shock” over the tragedy of Luke’s untimely passing.