My Life with Dr Sean Dunphy: I was a doctor on call during the Fastnet disaster

I can still remember the phone call alerting me to what would ultimately become the largest ever sea rescue operation in peacetime.

Dr Sean Dunphy at Crosshaven Royal Yacht Club. Carrigaline based Dr Sean Dunphy reflects on the role as the GP on duty during the night of the Fastnet disaster in 1979. Pictures by Noel Sweeney

As the doctor on call that day, I expected the worst, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to witness.

Locals of a certain age in Crosshaven will remember the Fastnet tragedy of 1979. As a GP with surgeries in Crosshaven and Carrigaline, I was there to watch the tragedy unfold in real time after being called to assist with casualties.