'After I was rescued I wanted to get straight back in the water to help' 

Eleanor Hooker on the Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat. Picture: RNLI

Eleanor Hooker never imagined that one day she would be at the helm of the RNLI boat that saved her life in a dramatic rescue operation on Lough Derg.

However, 20 years on, the Tipperary woman has turned from rescuee to rescuer, steering the B Class Atlantic 95 Lifeboat. Over the years, the Lough Derg RNLI volunteer has rescued countless people who found themselves in similar situations to her own.