Sister of a man who died after jumping into a quarry near Magherafelt urges other people not to enter the water in fine weather at such spots

The sister of a man who has died in a quarry in Co Londonderry has urged people to stop jumping into the water there.

Ronan Hawthorne, 37, died after entering the water in hot weather on Sunday. The father of three had used the quarry on sunny days for years, including on the previous weekend, May 11.

“A lot of people from Magherafelt use the quarry,” Diane Burke told the News Letter. “On the day there were kayakers in the water, and it is used quite a bit by the general public. Ronan was with two friends on Sunday when he went into the water at about 4pm. He jumped in and didn’t come up again. The two guys who were with him did what they could.”

Police say that they responded to a report in relation to a man in the water in the Hogg’s Quarry area of the Tobermore Road in Magherafelt on Sunday May 19 at around 4.45pm.

“Officers attended the scene, together with colleagues from other emergency services, where the man’s body was recovered from the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.”

Ms Burke said: “There are still people using it and drinking there and jumping off that pier. I was angry that they are still out there. I know they think the quarry is safe but I would ask them to stop.”

Ronan’s death is the subject of a Health and Safety Executive investigation.

The government website NIdirect gives warning about the risks of entering quarries. “Quarry water is much colder than rivers, lakes and the sea,” it says. “Many quarries are so deep that they are fed with water from underground springs or aquifers. As this water originates deep within the ground, it is extremely cold.

“As a result, you are likely to become exhausted much more quickly than you would think. Also a sudden plunge into cold water could cause your body to go into shock.”

Ronan’s Requiem Mass was held at the Church of our Lady of the Assumption in Magherafelt yesterday. He is survived by his children Ryan, Rhiley and Jamie, his sister Diane, brothers Matt Joe, Noel, Gavin and Kyle, his mother Patricia and stepfather Derek Cunningham, his father Matthew and stepmother Ann.