A coroner has highlighted the dangers of drunken swimming after the drowning of a young man who jumped into Dublin's River Liffey as a stunt to impress his friends on a night out in the city centre.

Vincent Lynch, 24, from Bailieborough, County Cavan, took off his shirt and jumped into the Liffey in the early hours of February 2nd. His friend, David Rooney, then jumped in after him in an effort to rescue him, but he was forced out of the water when his body went into shock due to the cold water.

Lynch’s body was later taken from the water by members of the Garda (Irish Police) Water Unit. A postmortem revealed that he had imbibed a high level of alcohol.

In a report quoted in The Irish Times Garda Michael Mullen of the Bridewell Garda station told the inquest that in some places it was the done thing to jump into rivers.
------------
READ MORE:

Tragic drowning of five-year-old boy in Killarney hotel shocks town

Dolphins maintained vigil for drowned Irishman in Australia

Family of Irish NY drowning victim devastated
------------
'In places like Galway I’ve known people to have done this and they have just been lucky,' the Garda said. 'It’s alcohol and being young. Things like this happen all too commonly.'

Coroner Doctor Brian Farrell told the inquest he should make young people aware that it was 'a highly dangerous thing to do at any time, but particularly at night with alcohol.'

He recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.