The son of a 67-year-old woman missing in east Cork has pleaded for public help in tracing her whereabouts.

The family of Frankie Devlin (67) said it appeared as if she had vanished off the face of the earth.

“We are in a living hell. It is soul destroying. Every scenario has gone through our heads. We don’t know,” said her son Killian Devlin.

He issued an appeal as gardaí said they are concerned for the welfare of Ms Devlin, who was last seen in the Garryvoe area around 10.45pm on October 5.

“Gardaí and Frankie’s family are concerned for her welfare. Frankie may present as confused or distressed,” a Garda spokesperson said.

Mr Devlin said he realised something was wrong when he came to Cork to visit his mother.

“I came down from Dublin to sort the chimney [out for her] and she wasn’t at home,” he said.

“And I thought, ‘Oh she has probably gone to a car boot sale.’ Then in the afternoon I thought she might have gone to a match.

“In and around that time I got a phone call from my sister asking me did I hear from mother? The phone was off. Now I didn’t think it was as serious as it turned out.”

He said on Saturday night she went to Garryvoe Hotel for a school reunion. She was last seen on CCTV at 10.45pm.

“There hasn’t been a shoe, a bag, an earring, nothing. It is as if she has vanished off the face of the earth,” he said.

Mr Devlin said the Coast Guard have been “fantastic”.

“Rescue 117 [helicopter] is flying overhead. They can’t launch the rib because the weather is too bad,” he said.

“Last night they asked for some volunteers for a search team to walk along the beaches looking at seaweed for a shoe, a bag, an earring and something like that.

“The local people have been fantastic. The Garda is very supportive.

“[My mother] was afraid of water. She nearly drowned as a child,” he explained.

“So she would never have gone in to the water.

“All of the volunteers are combing the beaches. We have the Coast Guard doing the cliffs and the rocks.

“We have gardaí going in towards Ladysbridge with sniffer dogs. The Cork City Missing Persons Group has come down with cadaver dogs, God forbid.”

He added: “She had a lift down with her friend and a lift home [that night] and they thought she was after getting a spin home [with someone else].”

“She does love these events. Car boots [sales] and meals and all that kind of stuff, she loves all that.”

Garryvoe is a popular seaside resort with large caravan parks outside the east Cork village. Gardaí are now asking owners to check their properties for any sign of the missing woman.

Her family said they are hoping and praying for some indication of Ms Devlin’s whereabouts.

“She has to be somewhere. She didn’t just vanish off the face of the earth,” Killian said.

“If anyone has information, we would really appreciate it.”

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