Two men drowned in bid to rescue couple

"HANG on to those, Gran. I’ll be back in a minute."

Those were the final words of Jonathan Herlihy, the 22-year-old college student who drowned alongside 36-year-old businessman Peter O’Keeffe, after they saved two swimmers from rough seas off a West Cork beach last September.

An inquest into their deaths heard yesterday that Jonathan, from Glanmire, Co Cork, handed runners to his grandmother, Mary Herlihy, before dashing with Mr O’Keeffe, from Ovens, Co Cork, into heavy seas off Owenahincha beach on September 3 to save Lee Cooley and Cliona Murphy.

It was All-Ireland Sunday and Peter was walking on the beach with his fiancée, Anne Riordan.

Jonathan was walking with his mother, Eileen, when they responded to calls for help.

There were emotional scenes as Mr Cooley, from Doncaster, in England, recalled in public for the first time the moment he knew his rescuers were being swept away.

Peter’s father, Reg, his daughters, Suzanne, Gillian, Shirley, Yvonne, and Ms Riordan along with Jonathan’s parents, Liam and Eileen, his brother, Chris, and girlfriend, Sarah Flanagan, listened intently as Mr Cooley recalled the tragic chain of events.

He said the water was calm as he and Ms Murphy entered the water.

But strong waves began to pick them up and carry them out farther and farther, he said.

“It must have been the tide coming in. It’s probably normal for Owenhincha to be like that but it changed. It was quick.”

A statement from Ms Murphy said the couple spent five minutes trying to swim back but realised they were being pulled out to sea.

Mr Cooley said he then called to a group of people on the beach for help.

He saw two men run into the water and throw a life buoy to Ms Murphy.

The waves were crashing around the men and the water was foaming, he said. “Cliona caught the lifebuoy and passed it to me. I put my arm through the ring, she did the same,” he said.

They felt a few tugs on the lifebuoy rope but felt it go slack almost immediately. It was then he knew the two men were also in trouble.

The lifebuoy kept Ms Murphy and Mr Cooley afloat and they were carried eastwards by the tide.

“The same waves that 10 minutes ago were drowning us, were now saving us,” he said.

They were swept ashore a few hundred yards down the beach about 15 minutes later.

In a statement, Ms Riordan said she could see four people in the water, but saw two drift away. She saw Peter wave one arm above his head and call for help.

Ms Herlihy, who was also watching from the beach, said she saw four people together until a huge wave crashed around the group.

She then saw two people drift eastwards, and only discovered as they came ashore that Jonathan and Peter had been swept away.

Peter’s body was recovered in the nets of a fishing trawler on the following Tuesday.

Jonathan’s body was found washed up on sand among rocks at Little Island beach, at the east side of Owenahincha the following Sunday morning.

Coroner for West Cork, Dr Colm Quigley recorded a verdict of death by drowning. He paid tribute to the two men.

“This was an appalling tragedy. It was an heroic thing they did, going in for people they didn’t know,” he said.

“Greater courage can no man have than to give up their life for a friend, or a member of the community.”

Dr Quigley and Garda Superintendent Pat Maher, also praised all involved in the search and recovery effort.