There was some heartbreaking and emotional scenes recently as the little baby saved from the cold waters at Buncrana Pier on Lough Swilly over the weekend was reunited with the brave hero who rescued her recently.
The only survivor of the awful tragedy little Rioghnach-Ann McGrotty, who is just four months old, was back in the arms of hero Davitt Walsh, aged 29, for a cuddle after he attended a heartbreaking meeting with her mother Louise James. The heroic man who bravely rescued little Rioghnach-Ann from the horrific accident which sadly claimed the lives of her two brothers, father, aunt and grandmother, agreed to meet the grieving mother after the Parish priest Fr Paddy O’Kane arranged for it to happen.
Fr O’Kane, told reporters about the emotional meeting which was held on Tuesday, saying it was one of the most moving experiences of his lengthy priesthood. Fr O’Kane said that a grief stricken Louise hugged her baby’s rescuer Davitt and thanked him for saving her little girl’s life.
The local priest also spoke of how an upset and distraught Davitt wept and told the grieving mum of he wished he could have saved more members of the family.
Fr O’Kane told reporters: “I was happy to provide tea and coffee for Davitt, his girlfriend Stephanie Knox, and his family, and Louise and her brothers, and it was a very emotional meeting. “It ended up with Davitt holding little Rioghnach-Ann, who provided such joy to the whole situation by opening her eyes and smiling and yawning.
“You could see Louise’s face light up when she looked into her little daughter’s eyes. She is giving her such strength at the moment, strength from this little baby. “Louise was crying, Davitt was crying, we were all crying. It was one of those moments that comes once in a life-time.
“Louise said to Davitt, ‘I am so, so grateful to you for saving the life of my little daughter. I will be eternally grateful to you and you will have a bond with my little daughter for the rest of your life’. And then, ‘Would you like to hold her?’
“Davitt then took the little baby girl in her arms, and told her how he had last seen her in Buncrana, when he had kept saying to the baby, ‘hold on there, we’ll get there yet, we’ll get there yet’ as he struggled, exhausted, to make it back to the pier last Sunday. “Throughout the meeting Davitt could not stop crying. Louise put her arms around Davitt and said, ‘I am so grateful to you and I will always be grateful to you for the rest of my life because you saved the life of my beautiful baby daughter’.
Fr O’Kane further explained: “We were all in tears and Davitt was clearly traumatised. He told Louise he was so sorry he could not have done more. “Louise told Davitt he was a hero because he had given her a reason to live by saving the life of her baby Rioghnach-Ann.
“He told her he had started going back to the gym a few weeks ago and he believes that gave him the strength to save Rioghnach-Ann. “Louise told Davitt that if he’d not gone back, there would probably be six coffins, not five. As a priest, this is all new to me. We have never had five coffins in this church at the one time before.”
The funerals of the five other family members who sadly lost their live on Sunday will take place later today.