Five people from West Cork who were involved in the dramatic rescue of six teenagers and two adults at Inchydoney Beach after they got into difficulty due to rip currents have been recognised for their bravery.

Clonakilty’s Ella Kingston, Maya McMahon, Conor Uhl, Lyle Hatchett and Peter Moynihan were praised for their quick thinking and crucial life-saving skills at Water Safety Ireland’s annual awards.

It was at Inchydoney Beach on May 1st that Ella Kingston became aware of six teenage boys in difficulty in the water due to a rip current.

She and her friend Maya McMahon both entered the water with a lifebuoy to assist.

While swimming towards the teenagers they noticed that a couple who had attempted to help the boys had also gotten into difficulty. Ella and Maya diverted their course to assist the couple and gave them two lifebuoys to help them stay afloat.

At the same time three surfers ¬– Conor Uhl, Lyle Hatchett and Peter Moynihan – entered the water with their surfboards and quickly coordinated their efforts.

Conor paddled towards three swimmers furthest from the shore, while Peter and Lyle headed towards a single swimmer and the two adults.

He reached the three boys and calmly instructed them on how to escape the rip current, then guided them back to safety.

Conor then returned to assist Peter and Lyle, who had successfully brought the other swimmers onto their boards, while Ella and Maya swam back to shore.

Other recipients of the awards included Annette O’Sullivan from Killumney along with Kevin Wilson from Kinsale who rescued a female swimmer at the Dock Beach in Kinsale on August 20th 2023.

Annette had been swimming at the beach when she noticed a woman waving weakly in her direction and quickly realised she was in trouble.

She swam over and found the woman disoriented and instructed her to hold onto the rope attached to her tow float, and then began towing her toward shore.

After about 100 yards, Annette heard a noise and paused to check on her, offering further reassurance before calling for help.

Deciding to continue, she held the woman by the strap of her swimsuit and swam toward the shore, which took about 20 minutes.

Kevin Wilson was on the cliff when he quickly realised that both women were in distress.

As both women began to lose consciousness, he ran down to the beach and alerted another man.

Together with Annette, they helped bring the woman safely to shore.

Two other recipients of the SEIKO Just In Time awards were Jack Anthony from Frankfield and James Murphy from Kinsale who helped rescue a female swimmer at Garrettstown on May 1st after she got caught up in the currents and swam out.

Sarah Martin from Dublin was also honoured for rescuing an eight-year-old girl and her dad who got into difficulty while swimming at Rosscarbery Pier on July 9th.

Joanne Walsh, CEO of WSI, said the SEIKO Just In Time awards ‘shine a light on real-life heroes - ordinary people who made extraordinary decisions in moments of crisis’.

‘Their actions saved lives and serve as an inspiration to us all. We urge everyone to reflect on these rescues and take time to respect the risks and enjoy the water safely.’