Hero rescues family of four from Cavan lake

A man who saved a family of four from drowning last month has revealed the horrific moment when he realised a mum with a toddler in her arms struggling under the water in a treacherous lake.

Dean Byrne, originally from Balbriggan, Co Dublin, but now living in Virginia, Co Cavan, was on family day out with his wife Monica and their children at Killykeen Lake in late July when he was made aware of two young children in difficulty in the water.

When he swam out to try and get them back to shore, he was horrified to discover their mother who was carrying her youngest child was submerged underneath the water.