Rallying round for Michael

Special appeal to take place at event to help locate 56-yr-old

- BY SEAN MURPHY

EFFORTS to find Kerry cattle farmer Michael Gaine, who gardai fear has been killed, are to intensify this weekend.

A special appeal will be launched at the Rally of the Lakes event in Killarney in a desperate bid to find the missing 56-year-old who vanished without trace five weeks ago.

A close friend of Mr Gaine revealed his family will step up their campaign to discover what happened to him after his case was reclassified as homicide.

Mr Gaine was last seen in Co Kerry town Kenmare on March 20 when he bought phone credit in a local shop.

A major search has been ongoing since personal items like his phone and wallet were found in his bronze Toyota RAV4 at his farm the next day.