Co Clare tragedy as local musician falls to his death from Kilkee cliff

Darren Richmond has been named locally as the man who died after falling from a cliff in Co Clare on Wednesday, July 12.

Gardaí confirmed on Wednesday that emergency services attended an incident at Kilkee Cliff Walk in Co Clare that afternoon.

A man aged in his 50s was removed from the water by the Coast Guard. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

His body has been removed to University Hospital Kerry.

Richmond reportedly fell into the sea from a cliff at Dunlicky near Kilkee at around 3:15 pm on Wednesday. He is believed to have been fishing with another man at the time. 

A second man reportedly climbed down the rocks to go to Richmond's aid but became stranded on a cliff and was unable to climb to safety. 

Members of the Kilkee Coast Guard eventually managed to get a rope down to the man and help him to safety. 

A passerby who witnessed the incident raised the alarm and called the emergency services, who recovered Richmond's body from the water.

Richmond, 58, was a native of Lancaster in England but had been living in Ennis, Co Clare for many years. He was a noted musician and song collector and regularly performed on the traditional music circuit in Ireland. 

The Yellow Submarine Pub in Corofin, where Richmond frequently performed, paid tribute to the local musician in a statement on Wednesday. 

"RIP Darren Richmond left us today after falling off a cliff in Kilkee," the pub said in a post on Facebook. 

"Darren was a regular at the Sunday session with his bodhran and his wonderful songs.

"It’s a ray of the sun that has gone." 

Local Independent TD Violet Anne Wynn said on social media that it was "incredibly sad" to hear of Richmond's death.