Sir, - Like Pat O'Malley of Grainne Uaile Sub Aqua Club (November 7th), I welcomed Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary (November 1st) about Michael Heffernan's tragic death while attempting to rescue others.
On the day of the rescue, Dr Michael Woods, Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, expressed his deep regret at the loss of life and acknowledged Michael's extraordinary courage and concern for the lives of others. Pat O'Malley expanded on the details in Kevin Myers's article. While the full details of the rescue are still being collated by the Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES), your readers may like to know that at least 21 services and 100 people directly participated. At various stages people in Bantry, Valentia, Shannon, Blacksod, Achill Island, Killybegs, Malin Head, Dublin, Wexford and Cork took part. The rescue involved the crews of the helicopters, helicopter bases, boats, climbers, Garda Siochana, fire service, ambulance, medical, refuelling centres, lighthouses, Aer Rianta and Air Traffic Control, to name but a few. In addition, an enormous contribution was made by local fishermen and members of the local community and this was much appreciated.
There were many heroes in this rescue. The Grainne Uaile divers, the Garda divers, the Irish Marine Emergency Service Co-ordination Centres staff at Dublin and Malin Head and their Killala coastal unit and the O'Donnell family of local fishermen deserve particular mention. The Killala unit was involved from the beginning. Their boat and crew brought the Grainne Uaile divers into the cave and picked up Josie Barrett when he came out. They brought the Garda divers in on their first attempt but had to return due to sea conditions inside. After consultation they decided to re-enter the cave and this time managed to get close to the end of the cave and drop off the Garda divers and remained in the cave to bring out the survivors and the Garda divers.
Our greatest assets for marine emergency response in Ireland are the women and men who crew our rescue service facilities. (In this context it is appropriate to note that the IMES coastal units and the lifeboat crews are voluntary; the fact that they are on 24-hour standby every day of the year to selflessly offer their services to the community is a tribute to their dedication, expertise and public spirit). A successful mission is when these women and men return safely to their stations, wash down their helicopters, boats, fire engines, ambulances, diving equipment, etc. and make ready for the next emergency. Given the inherent risk in all marine emergency response operations at sea or on the coastline, this premise serves as a practical baseline for evaluating performance, whether in an actual rescue or in training. Sadly, regretfully and unfortunately, but heroically, Michael lost his life in the rescue.
Dr Woods wholeheartedly thanked all who took part and said they deserved the highest praise for their effort throughout the operation. Those are my sentiments entirely. - Yours, etc.,
Director, Irish Marine Emergency Service, Leeson Lane, Dublin 2.