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An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar spoke to the director of the Irish Coast Guard, Eugene Clonan this morning to thank staff and volunteers for their ongoing work in the search operation off Hook Head.

As the search continues, our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing fisherman, and those of his bereaved colleague.

This morning I spoke to the Director of the Irish Coast Guard, Eugene Clonan, on behalf of the Irish Government to thank him and his teams for their role in this search, in exceptionally difficult circumstances off the Wexford coast. As a former Minister for Transport, I am very conscious of the brave service provided by the Coast Guard’s staff and volunteers right around our coastline. I also acknowledged the vital assistance of the RNLI, the Civil Defence and other volunteers in this search and throughout the year.

The Defence Forces is also providing assistance in this search, with the LE Ciara acting as a co-ordinating vessel. In my role as Minister for Defence, I assured Mr Clonan that the Defence Forces will be available to provide further assistance if required.