Four surfers have been hailed as heroes after helping save the lives of a man, his young son, and niece after they were swept out to sea by a rip current in Co Donegal.
Businessman and Sinn Féin councillor Brian Carr and his wife Marie were enjoying a day out with his family at Tramore Beach between Ardara and Nairn last Friday when their son Ben, nine, and niece, Amelia, 10, were pulled out to sea.
The children called out for help, and Mr Carr waded into the water, but he was soon pulled out into the rip current.
“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,” said Mr Carr from his hospital bed at Letterkenny University Hospital, where he is recovering.
“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.”
Mr Carr said he could hear his son call, “you’re close now, Daddy”, and that gave him the strength to try to push on again.
“But the waves kept forcing me back. I remember shouting to the kids, ‘Keep swimming’, but I could go no further.”
It was then that Mr Carr saw someone on a surfboard, and he called for them to help the children, although the surfer was already on the case.
“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, [but] the next thing I remember was being pulled up the beach by the arms.”
Luckily for Mr Carr and the two children, a group of four local men were swimming on the beach that day and came to their rescue.
Maitiú Clerkin and Dualta Bracken had been on the beach to surf and guided by fellow surfers Joe Herron and Turlough McDaid, who were shoreside, they managed to rescue Mr Carr and the children from the water.
Maitiú Clerkin, Dualta Bracken, Turlough McDaid, and Joe Herron who rescued local councillor Brian Carr and his son and a niece.
Mr Carr said there is no question that the four men are real-life heroes.
Speaking about coming to the rescue, Mr Clerkin said: “I just got straight in and started paddling as I could see the two kids’ heads a good bit out [from the shore].”
Mr Clerkin praised Mr Herron, his uncle, who advised the surfer in avoiding the same dangerous waves that had dragged Mr Carr and the two children out to sea.
“My uncle is a fairly experienced surfer, so he told me in case I was going to get pulled over by the rip, to instead run over to the other side of the beach and paddle from there just in case,” said Mr Clerkin.
“So I went out, scooped up the two kids and made sure they were alright. They were distressed, but I also then saw [Mr Carr] who was also starting to go under as they were all out of their depth.
“By the time I got over to where the man was, my friend Dualta had gotten to him. We helped the kids to get to where they could stand and then walk back to shore, and both of us then dragged [Mr Carr] back into the shore.”
Mr Herron and a fourth surfer in the group, Mr McDaid, waited closer to the shore to assist with bringing the children and Mr Carr back onto the beach.
The life-saving hero said a doctor came down from the caravan site, before the paramedics and air ambulance arrived to help the three victims.
He said it was only through luck that his group happened to be the only others near the water when the swimmers got into difficulty.
“It was lucky, to be honest. There was nobody else in the water and the pull on that beach is pretty strong. It’s fine when you have the surfboard with you, but whenever you’re swimming [it’s difficult].
“The kids were pretty good swimmers and they were treading water for a decent amount of time, but it’s not easy to get out and back off of those waves.”
Mr Carr said the four men who helped with the resuce “are true heroes” and are a “credit to themselves, their families, and their community”.
Donegal councillor Brian Carr. Picture: North West Newspix
Speaking on Thursday, he said: “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, 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.”
Mr Carr added that he will do everything in his power to see that the four men receive every award for bravery and heroism, “because they truly deserve it all”.
He also thanked everyone involved in the rescue, including the ambulance crew, paramedics, the Coast Guard, the Rescue 118 crew and the doctor from the caravan site. He also praised locals who comforted his wife and the two children, and those who helped direct the emergency services to the scene.