Portadown Pikers, along with family and friends of Daryl Burke and David Warnock, gathered on Saturday for a short memorial on the banks of the River Bann, close to the bridge in Portadown town centre. They also unveiled a special bench dedicated to the memory of the two men, who were both founding members of the club. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.

Daryl (30), a landscape gardener from Portadown and 27-year-old David, from Richhill, were part of a six-man team from the Portadown Pikers who made the trip to Lough Ree in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in March 2014. Both Daryl and David tragically lost their lives when their boat capsized in poor weather conditions close to Hodson Bay. David was taken from the water but sadly passed away in hospital.

It was 16 days before the body of Daryl was found and recovered from the water following extensive searches involving multi-agency teams. The tragedy was a devastating blow for the Portadown Pikers, the many family and friends of both men and members of the wider community, who will never fully comprehend or come to terms with how such an outing ended in such unimaginable loss. Advertisement Advertisement Now these dearly-loved young men will always be remembered thanks to this poignant gesture led by their friends in Portadown Pikers.

The provision of the memorial bench, which reads simply ‘In Memory of Dary.