Father delivers baby on way to hospital
Patrick, from Derrycarhoon, Ballydehob, was recounting how he found himself delivering his own baby girl during an early morning dash to the maternity hospital.
By coincidence, the 34-year-old mussel farmer took a course in emergency first aid a few weeks ago.
In the front seat of the family Daewoo car, Patrick helped his wife Rose to give birth to their first daughter.
Little Roisín weighed in at 7lbs 7ozs. She has two brothers, Andrew, eight, and four-year-old Eoin-Daniel.
“This is our third one and going on past experience my wife thought she would be fine,” the father said.
“But we were living a bit of a distance away from the hospital. She decided to wait until she felt comfortable enough to go - and then it just happened.
“We had rung from Dunmanway for an ambulance and garda escort.
“The garda came along and gave me an escort. But my wife ordered me to pull in and it all happened in the space of four or five minutes. We then got the escort to meet the ambulance in Bandon.”
The drama came to a climax on the Dunmanway side of Bandon, about five miles from the town.
At the Centra shop in Bandon, where they pulled in to meet the ambulance, a woman insisted on giving towels to Patrick as a gift.
Patrick paid a special tribute to Garda Brian O’Flynn, Bandon, who provided the escort for the mercy dash.
“He was a real cool customer.
“He did everything he could for us,” said Patrick.
Patrick’s only complaint is about the car parking outside Erinville Maternity Hospital in Cork.
“With all that was happening, I neglected to put in a second parking disk on the car.
“When I got out, the car was clamped, butthey were very good about it.
“You’d think the council could provide four or five parking spaces to give people a chance.
“I was told that nearly 100% of the people who get clamped are fathers going to the hospital.”
