Parents are being reminded to be careful when using inflatable dinghies after a 12-year-old girl was swept out to sea in Cork over last Thursday.
Talking to 96FM, Karen McGrath thanked the Ballycotton RNLI for successfully rescuing her daughter, Emily.
Emily had been playing in an inflatable craft with a number of friends - Ali and Áine aged 10 and 11 - and her parents at Shanagarry when the wind and tide swept the boat out to sea.
According to the Karen, the adults turned away for a few seconds when tragedy struck.
Karen’s husband and her brother quickly dived in after the dinghy and managed to get two of the three kids out. However, due to the wind, the duo were unable to save Emily, who had been swept out to sea.
Talking to the radio station, Karen, who was very distraught, explained how a woman on shore contacted Ballycotton RNLI, who were there in minutes.
"I was very distraught - my child was being swept away. But there was a lovely lady called Orla Lynch on the shore and she immediately contacted the Ballycotton RNLI crew," Karen said earlier.
“We're just so grateful and wanted to say 'thank you'. We were in pieces.”
"We were very, very lucky with Emily. She was really distressed afterwards. She told us afterwards she just laid inside the boat and prayed to her (late) nan to keep her safe," the mum explained.
"We could so easily have lost our child. But the people were fantastic to us on the beach."
Rips can drag you out in seconds. If you get trapped, know what to do: https://t.co/9icXbVxsJ3 #RespectTheWater pic.twitter.com/YWavxJl6Em
— RNLI (@RNLI) August 6, 2016
