A 10-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man have become the country's latest drowning victims.

This brings to four the number of drownings in just three days this week.

The 10-year-old boy drowned on Thursday evening in the sea off Co Cork, while the 19-year-old man died on Thursday night while swimming in a lake in Roscommon.

On Wednesday, a 17-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a lake in Co Kildare, while on Tuesday, a woman in her 20s drowned after getting into difficulty in a river in Limerick.

Irish Water Safety (IWS) and the Irish Coast Guard are appealing to people to be particularly careful around water during the current good spell of weather.

IWS reminded water users that it is possible to drown close to shore and close to other water users. It is urging the pubic to stay away from unsupervised bathing areas and to choose areas supervised by a lifeguard instead.

"Having lifeguards nearby is reassuring in case you need advice, help with first aid or missing children. They are trained to prevent or react to unexpected incidents where seconds can make a difference.

"However, lifeguards are not a child-minding service and members of the public have a duty of care to protect themselves and their families when visiting waterways nationwide," the organisation said.

Last summer, IWS lifeguards reunited 319 lost children with their guardians. It urged people not to leave children unattended at the water's edge and to ensure that they are always supervised.

"Children have drowned silently in a matter of seconds and in just a few inches of water. Constant responsible parental supervision guarantees child safety, yet tragic drownings occur every year when children manage to escape the watchful eye of guardians," it warned.

It added that in real life, a drowning ‘may not be the violent, splashing call for help that people often imagine'.

"Drowning is deceptively quiet. Although seeing a person shouting and thrashing is likely to mean distress, the waving, splashing and yelling for help that we see on dramatic television shows is rarely seen in real life," the organisation said.

Meanwhile, it also reminded people that if they get caught in a rip current in the sea, they should never swim against the current. Instead, swim parallel to the shore to get out of the rip current and then swim back to shore.

If emergency help is required, dial 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.