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THE FATHER AND uncle of the two young women who were miraculously rescued following a major search in Galway bay yesterday has said there’s a sense of “mighty relief” that they were found safe.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Johnny Glynn said he’ll be forever grateful to the men who rescued his daughter Ellen (17) and her cousin Sara Feeney (23) after their paddleboards drifted out leaving the pair stranded overnight.
A major search was launched after the pair failed to return from paddleboarding on Wednesday evening. They had been swept away from the coast by a sudden north wind and blown out to sea.
Units including those from the Coast Guard, RNLI, Galway Lifeboat and local fishermen assisted in the search.
It was around lunchtime yesterday that fisherman Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan (18) found Ellen and Sara. They were brought to safety and taken to hospital for treatment.
Ellen’s father Johnny said this morning said that it’s “all happened so fast” since Wednesday evening.
“There’s been so much turmoil,” he said. “We’re so relieved.”
He said that both Ellen and Sara were in good form following their ordeal.
Glynn also described how the cousins had been very close since they were children, and were very keen on watersports so would regularly go swimming or paddleboarding.
When he and his wife Deirdre were told what happened on Wednesday evening, they both rushed to Furbo beach.
He said: “At that stage what can you do? We were helpless.”
The parents watched as a rescue helicopter joined the search that night but was unable to locate the girls. After a sleepless night searching the coastal areas of Galway and Clare, they were facing into a crucial few hours in the search for their loved ones.
“After that it would’ve been worst-case scenario,” Glynn said. “I just hoped they had stayed together.”
Ellen and Sara had done just that. The former’s father explained how they managed to tie their paddleboards together so as not to get separated. “That was really the best thing to do,” he said.
They were moving all the time over the course of the 15 hours they were in the water and were looking for a buoy they could hang on to.
They discovered the lobster pot, and were soon within sight of the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands.
Glynn described how they could see helicopters and boats in the distance that weren’t quite close enough to see them, as the sea had taken them further north-west than anticipated.
However, eventually they noticed a boat headed in their direction.
Glynn said: “‘Sarah said to Ellen that this boat is coming for us… That was [Oliver's]. We’re forever grateful to them.”
At the close of the interview with RTÉ, he also praised and thanked those who’d assisted in the search for his daughter and niece.
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Jesus thats great news altogether, I was fearing the worst for them. Well done to the entire community
Brilliant outcome. Waves of Joy.
Fantastic news and well done to all involved
That is great news. So glad they were found safe and well. What an ordeal. Smart young ladies tying their boards together. And lucky ladies. Must have been terrifying seeing helicopters disappearing into the distance without spotting them. So glad that father and son came along. Such a relief for them and their families. While beautiful, the sea is a wild beast.
Great outcome, what a community spirit up there lovely to see
Always great to hear a good news story and this is most definitely that. Well done to all the rescue services and all the volunteers. 100% job satisfaction was achieved here.
Such a fantastic end to what could have been a very tragic story. Fair play to the girls for having the presence of mind to tie their boards together, cling to d lobster pot& head for d island. Well done also to the fisherman who rescued them. We need more good news stories like this!
Tip.Make sure your paddle rope has a tether and if you fall off it bc won’t drift away as was my bc experience
God don’t we need a good news story these days! Well done all!
So wonderful to have a good news story for a change.
Such a great outcome, there is rarely a good outcome from the sea. Hope they are out and about soon.
Great news. It’s scary how easily it seems to have happened. Be careful out there.
Fergal, my god you are a miserable lump of sxxxx. They were caught out without a mobile. I was at Salthill with my family. It was a beautiful day. Could have happened to anybody. I knew the grandfather of Patrick Oliver who rescued them. They are fishermen from Claddagh and I am not at all suprised that it was the Olivers that found them. Maicin would be proud of them. Great team effort alround and huge relief for the families.
glad to hear the girls are safe – well done to the rescue services who are just ordinary people doing an excellent job for the good of community – next time they have a street collection or fund raising event for these services remember this story and throw a few extra euros in the bucket, it can make a difference to them
I didn’t realise the drifted so far, that’s frightening.
glad to hear the girls are safe – well done to the rescue services who are just ordinary people doing an excellent job for the good of community – next time they have a street collection or fund raising event for these services remember this story and through a few extra euros in the bucket, it can make a difference to them
Why did helicopter not find them all night?
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