Man Drowns In Bessbrook Lake

A 68-year-old man has died in a drowning incident at Bessbrook Lake in Co Armagh.

It is thought the man, who has been named locally as Oswald 'Ossie' Bradley, was attempting to swim to an island in the lake to remove two Irish tricolour flags that had been placed in the trees earlier this month. It has been reported that Mr Bradley planned to replace the tricolours with a union flag, but he got into difficulties in the water.

A teenage boy managed to bring Mr Bradley ashore at around 5pm on Monday (28 July), where attempts were made to resuscitate him. Emergency services at the scene transported him to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, but he was later pronounced dead. Police have said Mr Bradley's death is not being treated as suspicious.

Just last week, Sinn Féin MLA Mickey Brady called for the tricolour flags to be removed from the island as they could be seen as "intimidating" by Protestant residents in the village.

He said the flags could be considered by some as "overtly sectarian, intimidating and threatening".

On Monday, he said the community of Bessbrook "was in shock" at Mr Bradley's death.

Ulster Unionist MLA, Danny Kennedy, described the news as "devastating", adding: "This is a very tragic outcome to controversies surrounding flags in this village. This is too high a price for any family and community to pay.

"The entire Bessbrook community will join with me in showing our sympathy and support for the whole family circle. He was highly respected and liked within the Bessbrook community. I counted him as a personal friend and I am deeply upset by his untimely and tragic death."

Following Mr Bradley's death, it is understood the tricolours have now been removed from the island.

(JP/CD)