Family members of the late John Trimble, who survived a 2014 fishing tragedy on Lough Ree in which two of his colleagues from Portadown Angling Club died, pictured at the Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat station in Athlone on Saturday. Mr Trimble passed away in January of this year and donations to Lough Ree RNLI were made at his funeral. Pictured are his wife Ann Trimble with her sons Colin, John and William.

Family of man who survived Lough Ree tragedy pays poignant visit to Athlone lifeboat station

Published: Mon 23 Feb 2026, 1:40 PM

A special gathering took place in Athlone last Saturday in which a county Armagh family and local RNLI volunteers gathered to remember three members of the Portadown Angling Club involved in a fishing tragedy on Lough Ree nearly twelve years ago.

On March 20, 2014, Lough Ree RNLI was called to a fishing boat accident near Yew Point on Lough Ree. Three members of Portadown Angling Club were onboard a 16-foot boat which capsized.

John Trimble was rescued by Lough Ree RNLI’s volunteer crew and was the only survivor of the accident. David Warnock was also rescued by the lifeboat crew, but died later in hospital. A 16-day search continued for the third member of the party, Daryl Burke, who was recovered from the water on April 5, 2014.

Survivor John Trimble, from Markethill, Armagh, sadly died after a short illness on January 20 this year. It was his wish that, in lieu of flowers, mourners at his funeral would make a donation to Lough Ree RNLI.

At the small, informal gathering at the lifeboat station at Coosan Point on Saturday his wife, Ann, presented the charity with a cheque for €1,840.

Every year since the tragedy in 2014, John and Ann had returned to Lough Ree to remember their lost friends, lay flowers at the memorial at Coosan Point, and meet with volunteers at Lough Ree RNLI.

Accepting the donation, Dave McCourt, Lough Ree RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager welcomed Ann and her sons John, William and Colin to the station.

Former volunteer crew member Robbie West, who was lifeboat helm on the day of the tragedy, said: "The friendship of the crew with the Trimble family has been a long and enduring one, and RNLI volunteers always keep John, David and Daryl in their thoughts."