Man and children saved by heroes are 'grateful to be alive' and on the mend

A Glenties man has thanked a group of men who heroically saved his life as well as two young children last week.

Donegal County Councillor Brian Carr was the man who admitted to being glad to be alive after a horrifying experience in the warm weather spell at sea last Friday.

He penned his social media post from his hospital bed but is “on the road to recovery” after getting into severe difficulty whilst trying to help the children, who were drifting out to sea at Tramore Beach in south-west Donegal.

“Because of the bravery of Maitiú Clerkin, Dualta Bracken, Turlough McDaid, and Joe Herron, who were the right people in the right place at the right time, my son Ben, his cousin Amelia, and I are alive today,” Cllr Carr posted.

“What started as a simple beach day with my wife Marie, our nine-year-old son Ben, and her 10-year-old niece Amelia quickly took a drastic turn. Normally, we visit the beach near Marie’s home in Rosbeg, but this time we chose to travel a few extra kilometres to Tramore Beach by the caravan site.

“Marie, who grew up by the sea, stayed near the shore with the kids, never taking her eyes off them and keeping them in shallow water since she doesn’t swim herself.

“I decided to head down the beach, pausing to take some photos of how vast and empty the beach was. Just then Marie phoned me, Ben and Amelia were drifting out to sea.

“I ran to the water and saw them calling for help. I waded in, but the further I swam, the stronger the current pulled us out. Soon I was out of my depth, struggling against large waves as I’m not a strong swimmer.

“Amelia clung to a bodyboard while Ben treaded water, both crying for help. I fought the waves, but exhaustion quickly set in. I floated on my back, trying to recover. Ben’s call: ‘You’re close now, Daddy’ that gave me the strength to try to push on again, but the waves kept forcing me back. I remember shouting to the kid: ‘Keep swimming!” but I could go no further.’‘

“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone on a surfboard and yelled: ‘Get the kid’ not realising that’s where he was going. Moments later, someone grabbed me and dragged me to a board.

“I’m not sure but I must have passed out as I don’t remember the journey to shore. The next thing I remember was being pulled up the beach by the arms.

“Since then, I’ve been piecing the story together from people who were there and the lads’ own accounts on social media. To us, they are true heroes, a credit to themselves, their families, and their community.

“I have only made contact with Dualta as I’m still in hospital and both Marie and I are slowly coming to terms with the enormity of what happened. But once I’m discharged in a few days, I can’t wait to meet them in person and give them the biggest hug of thanks.

“Thankfully, Ben and Amelia are both doing well after the ordeal. They showed incredible bravery in the water, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. Ben only started swimming lessons last September in An Chuirt in Gweedore, and that gave him the calmness to hold on, it was the best thing he ever learned. Marie did an incredible job getting help. It couldn’t have been easy on her, and as she said herself, ‘it felt like her whole life was floating away in front of her.’

“I cannot say enough about those four lads, they are true heroes. We owe them a debt of gratitude that will last a lifetime. As I’ve said before, they were the right people, in the right place, at exactly the right time, and because of that, we are here today to tell this story. Their courage was nothing short of extraordinary.

“With Joe recognising the rip current and guiding everyone out and around, everything aligned to make the rescue possible. Marie told me they all remained on the beach until I was airlifted by helicopter. I will do everything in my power to see that they receive every award for bravery and heroism, because they truly deserve it all.

“We just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped us. A huge shout-out to the ambulance crew and paramedics, to Stephen McCole from the Coast Guard, the Rescue 118 crew, the doctor staying at the caravan site, and all the amazing people there who brought blankets, stayed with and comforted Ben and Amelia, and guided the ambulance crew down the beach. You were all incredible, you went above and beyond, and we’ll never forget your kindness.

“A big thanks as well to the wonderful locals in Rosbeg. Special mention to Danny and Patsy for the local knoweledge in directing the ambulance and helicopter to the beach, and to Patrick Harkin and his quad for getting the medics (and me) across the beach to the helicopter.

"Your support meant the world to us. Finally, to everyone who has sent messages of support to myself, Marie, and our families, a heartfelt thank you. We are so grateful. Just a few more days in here, and they’ll have me back on my feet again. I’ll be taking some time off work now to rest and recover and simply be with the family. Thanks for everything - Brian and Marie.”

Cllr Brian added that he and Marie “are still processing what happened last Friday.”

“It’s been overwhelming,” he added of the past week. “But we’re grateful to be alive and on the road to recovery. Ben and his cousin Amelia have been incredible, reminding us that what matters most is having each other.

“The only thing we ask if you see us out and about and Ben is with us please understand we’d rather not revisit everything in front of him. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.”