Renowned UCD doctor drowns while fishing

Professor Aongus Curran, a 51-year-old father of five, went missing on Lough Corrib in Co Galway on Friday after he had gone fishing.

His body was recovered from the water close to Camillaun island on Saturday afternoon, more than 5km from his empty boat.

Prof Curran was a native of nearby Oughterard and often returned home to go angling.

He was a much-respected UCD professor and doctor at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, where he specialised in the treatment of neck and head cancers.

Mr Harris said: "Professor Curran was an enormously respected surgeon and a valued teacher to medical students at UCD."

The chair of the local angling club in Oughterard, Brian Ferguson, said the community had been left devastated.

"It appears to have been a tragic accident," he said.

"Aongus's father Bobby is a former chairman of the club here, so when the alarm was raised, the whole community pulled together to help in the search.

"We had more than 50 people out on the lake on 20 different boats, with loads of support on the shoreline."

Former patients and students of Prof Curran were also devastated.

Prof John Crown described Mr Curran as an "outstanding cancer surgeon". Student Nathaniel McHugh said: "He was an inspiring colleague."