Two Derrygonnelly people were at the forefront of a rescue mission at Rossnowlagh Beach in County Donegal on September 19 (Saturday).
Fiona Knight was on the scene and immediately performed CPR on the man who came into difficulty when he was in the water.

 


Lee Jones (22), a musician with the popular folk band The Tumbling Paddies and a Derrygonnelly Harps clubman ran back into the water having only just left it after hearing a woman screaming and helped pull the man from the water.
Lee spoke to the Impartial Reporter about Saturday’s events and said: “I’d just come out of the water and got changed and had heard a woman screaming in the water so ran back as quickly as I could. There was a man in the water and a few surfers and a fire fighter came and we pulled him out and we were roaring for a doctor and then a nurse came over and gave him CPR. They were tough scenes because the tide was coming in. There were lots of people there who were involved in helping him, not just me.”
Lee revealed that his girlfriend, Clara Eccles fom Derrylin rang for an ambulance after seeing him run from the car. “She couldn’t see what was going on with the glare of the sun so she rang the ambulance to be safe.”
Lee said he was “devastated that the man didn’t make it, It’s devastating for the family”, he said.
Lee added: We were just praying the whole way home and hoping to get word from the guards but couldn’t get anything and then seen it confirmed on Facebook.”
The Ballyshannon Ambulance Service released a statement and said: “At approximately 5.30pm yesterday (Saturday) evening the National Emergency Operations Centre in Ballyshannon dispatched three resources to a serious incident at Rossnowlagh beach, two emergency ambulances from Ballyshannon and Donegal Town and an off duty ambulance officer arrived a short time later where they took over treatment of a male patient.
“A short time later Rescue 118 arrived on scene and transported the patient to Letterkenny University Hospital along with a NAS Advanced Paramedic.
“Despite the best efforts of the heroic bystanders who attended the scene before that arrival of the emergency services and the NAS staff, Sligo’s Search and Rescue Helicopter, Rescue 118 and hospital staff the patient could not be resuscitated.
“We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the patient involved and to all his family.”
A spokesperson from An Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí attended an incident on Rossnowlagh beach on Saturday, September 19 at approximately 5.40pm. A male in his 70s had got into trouble in the water and was brought to Letterkenny University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.”