A 37-year-old lecturer at the Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) in Castlebar fell into the sea from an isolated pier on Clare Island, Co Mayo, after travelling to the island with three friends to celebrate her birthday, an inquest was told yesterday.
Ms Niamh McGrath, Srah, Tourmakeady, Claremorris, was with friends chatting, singing and meditating on the tiny pier at Ballytuohy, Clare Island, just before the accident occurred in the early hours of April 10th last.
Yesterday the young woman's friends told the coroner for south Mayo, John O'Dwyer, of their desperate attempts to save her life after she fell striking her head off a rock shelf on her way into the water. The crew of a lifeboat failed to get on to the pier because of a heavy swell and a rescue helicopter had to leave before returning to winch her aboard and bring her to hospital.
Ms McGrath died later at Mayo General Hospital. Dr Fadel Bennani said the cause of death was diffused brain ischaemia due to drowning in seawater. Even if she had been admitted to hospital straight away she would still have died, Dr Bennani said.
Mr O'Dwyer said Ms McGrath had only a "minuscule amount" of alcohol in her system and he wanted to rule that out as a contributory factor.