THE search for the young Furbo woman missing in Galway Bay since Tuesday of last week enters its eleventh day this morning.

Search co-ordinators are hoping for a breakthrough over the next day or two in their attempts to locate 32-year-old, Máire Ní Fhátharta, who has been missing since the  Tuesday morning of November 12 last.

She had gone for her regular swim at Silverstrand that morning but the alarm was raised shortly after mid-day when she failed to turn up for work as normal.

On the same morning, well-known singer/songwriter, Johnny Duhan, had separately also gone for his daily swim at the same location – when he hadn’t returned home at the usual time, his family raised the alarm. His body was recovered from the water later that day by rescue workeers.

An estimated 700 volunteers, along with the state rescue services were involved in a huge search for Máire Ní Fhátharta of the coastline from Spiddal to Kinvara without success.

The volunteers had joined with the rescue services including the Lifeboat Service, Coast Guard, Gardaí, Civil Defence, the Garda Water Unit, Mountain Rescue, the Oranmore-Maree Search Team, Cave Exploration Specialists and the Irish Navy.

A Garda spokesperson told the Galway City Tribune that there had been a massive volunteer response from the public over the past nine days or so in the efforts to locate the missing woman, with the operation continuing over the coming days.

“We are hoping that there will be a breakthrough over the next couple of days as the search continues along a stretch of coastline from Spiddal to Kinvara. There has been a huge response from the public to the search operation,” said the Garda spokesperson.

An online Go Fund Me initiative to ‘Bring Máire Home’ has also met with a huge response with over €220,000 raised to help meet the cost of such things as fuel for boats and search equipment.

The family of Máire Ní Fhátharta have expressed their heartfelt thanks to the public for their support in the ongoing search operation on social media.

“Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers, this Go Fund Me is to Bring Máire Home. We are reaching out to you today with heavy hearts, seeking support.

“This Go Fund Me is to aid the search operation that is currently under way for Máire. We want to assist the current volunteers that are on the water and on foot by doing as much as we can, to help cover costs such as fuel for boats, search equipment, etc.

“Any excess funds that are received will be donated to voluntary organisations that have been assisting us in this search.

“The current circumstances have shown an overwhelming sense of community and we can’t find the words to begin to thank everyone for their efforts so far.

Pictured: Máire Ní Fhátharta: search continues.