The town of Westport was plunged into mourning this week after the death of two men last weekend. On Sunday the body of Noel Gill, who had gone missing in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on November 19, was found. Mr Gill was last seen by a friend in the city between 4am and 4.30pm close to the Erasmus Bridge, near Churchillplein in the city centre. A large scale appeal to help find Mr Gill was launched by his family and friends online including a website and Facebook appeals in their effort to locate him. Mr Gill had been in Rotterdam for over a year at the time he went missing, but would return to Mayo regularly to see his wife Cindy and their two children.
The family suffered a second tragedy when Mr Gill’s sister Caroline’s partner, Peter Geraghty, who was a long time friend of Noel’s, was also found dead on Sunday. Mr Geraghty, who was 39 years of age, was found at the wheel of his car after he suffered a heart attack. He had two children aged 13 and nine, and was laid to rest after a funeral service on Wednesday.
Mr Gill’s family were also angered by the Dutch authorities’ decision not to carry out a post mortem on his body. The Irish embassy in The Hague is providing consular assistance to his family. Mr Gill’s funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
