Limerick musician Johnny Duhan has been named as the man who passed away while swimming off the coast of Galway today.

The body of the singer, who was in his 70s, was recovered after a large scale operation was launched in Silver Strand this morning.

Mr Duhan encountered difficulty on his daily swim in Galway Bay with emergency services notified when he failed to return from this morning's swim.

The search will continue tomorrow morning for a woman in her 30s who is thought to have been caught up in the same incident.

Mr Duhan played music for almost 60 years, and wrote 'The Voyage' which was made famous by Christy Moore on his album of the same name in 2005.

Tributes have been made to the beloved musician over social media this evening.