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THE DIVING COMMUNITY both in Ireland and abroad is mourning the death of renowned Irish freediver Stephen Keenan who died during a dive in Egypt.
Keenan died yesterday off the Egyptian coast near the tourist resort of Dahab.
The 39-year-old from Dublin was the co-owner of freedive school Dahab Freedivers and the diving website DeeperBlue.com said that he was the holder of a number of Irish freediving records.
Freediving is a method of diving where divers hold their breath and resurface rather than using scuba equipment.
DeeperBlue.com reports that the exact circumstances around his death or not clear but that it is believed he was providing “safety cover for a female freediver” when he got into trouble.
It’s reported that the diver was attempting to dive through a feature called the Arch at a spot called the Dahab Blue Hole. The feature consists of a 26m long tunnel at a depth of 56m.
Given his prominence within the freedive community, colleagues and former dive students of Keenan have been leaving tributes to him online.
“Today we received the tragic news of the passing of the strongest and most dedicated safety diver, and Vertical Blue’s chief of safety, Stephen Keenan. It seems the ocean takes the best away from us. He was a hero until the end and died while providing safety for a girl who got into difficulty,” professional dive team Vertical Blue wrote on Facebook.
Another Tenerife-based diving school described him as a ‘person of integrity’:
Those who knew him know that he was a person of integrity, of laughter and tears. Friend of his friends and always willing to pull his shoulder whenever needed. These are very difficult moments for everyone, but especially for his family and close friends. Our thoughts go to all of them.
One of his former students also made reference to his Irish accent:
“I feel orphaned my coach. An honest, hardworking, passionate guy, totally committed to sharing an unrivalled sport. We all lose a friend, an interested blue look, a bright smile, an incomprehensible Irish accent.”
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Good to see progress in this at last
More glass square blocks going up. No creative architects left in Ireland?
Really? I think the new buildings look great: http://img2.thejournal.ie/inline/1811683/original/?width=630&version=1811683
Paul they’re a good design but not tall enough for such a prime part of town.
They do look good, but as soon as those wooden panels get neglected they will look shabby. You see it all over the city with them. That place across from the Merrion gates looks like a kip due to the state of them over the past 7-10 years.
Fair point about the Elm Park site at Merrion gates but that’s not timber on the elevation…its terracotta (if I recall correctly from the planning application)
is there any chance they will demolish liberty hall next?
They are trying to replace it but so far have been refused planning
Many fond memories photographing the city on the roof of the old Silo’s. They will not be missed and I look forward to seeing what replaces them.
I don’t think it is finished when i looked in there yesterday there was still standing walls from the old silos as well as a huge amount of rubble sitting there.
Good to see progress. The only pity is the lack of height in probably the most prime commercial location in the city. They could easily justify sleek 25 storey towers there.
You don’t know what your talking about, the huge piles of rubble is the concrete from the silos that has been crushed for recycling , and the walls still standing are nothing to do with the silos
A “demolition” job is finished when the job is brought down to ground level with no rubble remaining. I saw half a wall standing on the north side of the site with equipment in there still breaking up the rubble.
So u work at demolition then Fred lol, you don’t know what your taking about
We should contact the local councilors and complain about the buildings being too short: http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-your-council-your-city-councillors-find-your-local-councillors/south-east-area-councillors.
Why are they building low rise? Stupid and bad landing. There should be high rise towers going up in that part of the city
From Grand Canal Dock you can see the Aviva from outside Fresh through the gap. It’s a point of view that will only exist for a short time.
During the Easter Rising Boland’s Mills was seized by members of the 3rd Battalion of the Irish Volunteers led by Éamon De Valera: perhaps as few as 100-130 poorly armed Volunteers were involved and was to serve as the headquarters of the Volunteers in a large region of Dublin’s south inner city.
Is it too sunny for a protest?
No, but I’d say it’s a bit late!
The silos were built in the 1950s
It’s always too sunny for a protest in the wrong place. .. the site you refer to is up at grand canal street
Didn’t stop the SF Moore Street protestors demanding a non-existent building on Moore st. in 1916 being protected.
So I don’t think you have a valid point.
Ugly Concrete Silos from the 1950s, I dont think anyone will mourn them . Some of the stone buildings near the front are being incorporated into the design that they date back to the rising
I think he does have a valid point considering the building that you are thinking of isn’t even on the same street.
Dev occupied Boland’s bakery, a site which is now occupied by The Treasury Building.
You know that the Bolands Mills of 1916 is on Grand Canal Street where the NTMA now is?
How many times Lord oh Lord dies this have to be pointed out???
Should have been preserved, great men fought there
Ideal site for social housing..
There’s too much social housing in the city center. Put them out in the suburbs.
have your say