Tipperary GAA rocked by drowning tragedy
January 25, 2012Twenty-eight-year-old Martin Costigan from Templetuohy was in the sea off the coast of Perth with his brother and two friends yesterday when he was hit by a freak wave. After a failed search by lifeguards, his body was later found further along the coast. Mr Costigan, who came to Australia on a working holiday visa, was believed to be a non-swimmer.
Stirling police Senior Sergeant Neville Patterson said the deceased had been in the water in an area 100 metres outside the designated swimming zone when the incident occurred.
"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," he said.
"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."
A member of a highly-respected farming family of eight children, Mr Costigan was a talented hurler and footballer with his local GAA club, Moyne-Templetuohy. He was particularly good at football and was top scorer for his club on many occasions.
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