STARING out onto Lough Erne are the distraught parents of Kieran McAree, the 23-year-old who went missing in Enniskillen over three weeks ago, waiting, hoping, wishing.

Martin and Geraldine have stood at the Round ‘O’ watching the tireless efforts of police and volunteers from Enniskillen search for their eldest son every day since he disappeared without a trace, a heartbreaking task that has been made more bearable by the support from the community.

In their first interview since the search operation began, the McArees from County Monaghan have told The Impartial Reporter about the heartache they feel and their one wish: to bring Kieran home.

“We are going to stay here every day until we find him and bring him home,” said Geraldine.

“It is Kieran who is keeping us going and the support of the people in Enniskillen,” said Martin.

The couple believe Kieran, who suffered from mental health problems for over two years, entered the water near Enniskillen Castle in the early hours of December 17 and is now dead.

“It’s very hard to explain how I feel” said Geraldine. “Half of my heart is ripped out of me. We just want to get him, to take him home. That’s all I want – to take him home. It doesn’t matter what length of time it takes, just to get him and take him home.” Thousands of people have shared Kieran’s photograph and name on Facebook and Twitter and for many that is all he is – an image, a name on social media. But for his adoring mother, Kieran, a keen runner and follower of Gaelic football, was everything.

“He was a very quiet, modest lad. If he won a race he never liked publicity so when they were looking to take a photograph of him he was never there. He was very kind. I know he wouldn’t have wanted to put us through this - he would have thought that he would have been got.

“Kieran tried everything in his power to get better from his sickness; he went everywhere and tried everything. For two years and three months he was sick. 2014 was his worst year and every time the doctor mentioned something to him he would jump at it to get better,” said Geraldine, explaining that despite suffering from depression her son wanted to help others.

“The first year of the sickness Kieran never wanted to tell people about what he had, but the second year he came out and he told people what he had because he wanted to help somebody. He made the young people think; he wanted them to know what he had and told young people if they had any problems to go and look about it. He told them not to hide it like he did in the first year. He said it was like a load off his mind; telling people what he had and he wasn’t ashamed of it,” said his mother. She explained that Kieran ran in a triathlon in their home village of Emyvale and organised a table quiz raising €5600 for the Aware Defeat Depression charity last year. It is somewhat poignant now, perhaps, that so many people are going out of their way to help a mother and father whose son went out of his way to help others.

Geraldine said that sometimes Kieran, who worked for a fire alarm company, wouldn’t talk about difficult periods when his illness had hit him.

“Whenever he went into work in the morning he would be whistling and singing whatever song had been on the radio. Even when he wasn’t well he sometimes never complained,” said Geraldine.

As this newspaper went to press yesterday (Wednesday) evening the search was continuing and so too was the pain for Martin, Geraldine and their two other children, Aisling and Damien.

The scale of the search on Lough Erne has been unprecedented with volunteers from Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim and Tyrone in boats, canoes and kayaks assisting police who have been using high-tech sonar equipment. Police have carried out surface checks from Castle Island to Castle Archdale and sonar checks from Castle Island to Devenish Island as well as searching the shoreline and riverbanks on foot. Despite the obstacles of fast-flowing water, there has been a particualr focus on the West Bridge/Round ‘O’ area after police dogs showed an interest there.

The journey home to Monaghan each evening brings more torment to the McAree family.

“Going home in the evening there is hardly a word spoken in the car. When you come to the house there is just a numbness that hits you,” said Geraldine. “The journey seems to get longer every day,” added Martin. They return to the Round ‘O’ each day and watch the efforts of locals with much appreciation. Yesterday police said an “integrated search operation” will continue on Lough Erne with the help of voluntary search teams and boat crews, including RNLI (Enniskillen), North West Mountain Rescue, Foyle Search and Rescue, and Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and Recovery Service.

They say they will continue to follow up any information received from the public and are reiterating their appeal for information; Kieran is described as 5’7” tall, with short curly brown hair, and wore glasses. He was wearing a green hoodie, blue trousers and was wearing glasses. Anyone who finds items of clothing matching this description is asked not to touch or move them. Instead, contact police immediately on 101.

From cups of tea and sandwiches to tweeting and Facebook posts, Martin and Geraldine, a quiet, unassuming couple, say they have been touched and overwhelmed by the huge level of support from people in Enniskillen and Emyvale, both on the ground and online.

“We appreciate it very much; it is a credit to them. Every day, every morning there are people in Enniskillen who are out looking and they go out at night when we go home and they do the river, they walk, and the boats go out too. People come down here and they don’t know what to do but a new set of eyes on the lake helps. For everyone who has supported us, even the lady in the kitchen [at the Anchorage Cafe at the Round ‘O’] it is a credit to them,” said Geraldine.

“It is giving us great support; it is keeping us going,” said Martin. “There are many people coming down here and they hand in food, they’ll not say anything and they’ll walk off.

“Schools and work places have reopened after Christmas and people have their own lives to live. There are people who gave up Christmas Day to come here, gave up New Year’s Day to come here and now they are even giving up their work to come here. What more can you ask for,” he said.

Like Geraldine, Martin is feeling the same heartache at the disappearance of his first born.

“There is a boat man here, Henry, and he said to me; ‘I can’t understand how you can talk to people. I have a son of 26 and if it happened to me I don’t believe I could talk to anyone.’ “The only answer to that is - it has to be prayer, it has to be people, and maybe it is Kieran. Maybe Kieran is coming through me and he is saying; ‘Look, Daddy, keep strong - you have to keep strong and some day it will all come to an end.” Call Lifeline: 0808 808 8000 if you need confidential support services and advice, or are concerned about someone else.  This is a free helpline service available 24/7.  For more information visit: www.lifelinehelpline.info For more updates, photographs and debate follow The Impartial Reporter on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/impartialreporter And on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/impartialrep