Belfast business owner Paul Bradley named as swimmer who died in Newcastle, Co Down

A swimmer who died after getting into difficulty off the Co Down coast has been named locally as Paul Bradley, owner of Cafe Fish in south Belfast.

South Belfast MP Claire Hanna offered her condolences on the "tragic and shocking news".

She said: "Paul was a local businessman of decades standing and built Cafe Fish on the Lisburn Road to become the south Belfast Institution it is today.

"Paul was a larger then life character, warm and friendly - his catchphrase of ‘order on’ bellowed back into the kitchen was known by many.

"He was a family friend and my mum was talking to him only last week and he was saying how he was spending more time in Newcastle, enjoying a bit downtime after decades of throwing himself into the business.

"Thinking of his beloved wife Gabby and their family as they deal with this awful shock."

Paul lost his life after getting into difficulty in the water near the South Promenade area of Newcastle shortly shortly after 10am on Wednesday 18 October.

PSNI officers attended the scene, together with colleagues from other emergency services.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Sadly, despite attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the scene."

Police added that they are not treating the death as suspicious at this time.

In a statement, the RNLI said: "Newcastle RNLI responded to an incident this morning after a swimmer got into difficulty in the water close to the lifeboat station.

"The inshore lifeboat launched shortly before 10am and the casualty was quickly taken ashore, and casualty care was administered by the lifeboat crew until the arrival of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Air Ambulance NI was also tasked."

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