Passerby hero in dramatic River Corrib rescue

A young man who was involved in a dramatic rescue operation on the Corrib last weekend has told the Galway City Tribune of how an ‘evening out’ for him in town took on a very different twist.

Criodán Ó Murchú was after getting off the bus from Oranmore into the city on Friday afternoon last to meet up with some friends before a walk up towards NUI Galway from the Spanish Arch changed everything.

Close to the Salmon Weir Bridge shortly after 4pm, Criodán noticed a young man in the water who seemed to be in some distress with a T-shirt around his neck and a cut on the right-hand side of his head.

“I just called out to him in an effort to see that he was okay but there was just no response. There was a woman nearby as well and we threw a ring buoy into the water, but he just wasn’t able to grab it,” he recalled.

With his mobile and headphones in place, Criodán immediately dialled 999 but followed the progress of the young man in the river downstream before making the decision to enter the water himself.
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of Criodán’s story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.