Heroic Davitt Walsh has been awarded a gold medal for bravery, for his role in saving the life of four-month-old Rioghnach-Ann in the Buncrana tragedy.
Mr Walsh was yesterday presented with the Michael Heffernan Gold Medal for Marine Gallantry, seven months on from the tragedy which claimed the lives of five members of one family.
It was a sunny evening in March when members of the Grotty and Daniels families drove out close to the waters of Lough Swilly. Tragedy struck, however, when the car they were travelling rolled into the water.
Davitt Walsh, who rescued a baby girl from drowning in a tragedy in March, has been awarded a gold medal for bravery https://t.co/0bkph1tqN7 pic.twitter.com/Ratn0arUbG
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 14, 2016
Upon witnessing the accident unfold, Mr Walsh swam out to the vehicle to help. It was then that he was handed four-month-old Rioghnach-Ann, with pleas to bring her to safety.
While Mr Walsh was able to save Rioghnach-Ann, unfortunately he was unable to help the rest of her family.
The accident claimed the lives of father Sean Grotty and his sons Evan (eight) and Mark (12), along with Ruth Daniels and her 14-year-old daughter, Jodie Lee.
In an interview with RTÉ yesterday, Mr Walsh said it was a ‘fantastic honour’ to receive the medal, at the ceremony in Farmleigh House.
Members of the volunteer lifeboat crew who responded to the accident were also honoured in the same ceremony.
As ever, we are thinking of all those touched by this tragedy.
