Fr Pierce Cormac and Bill Deasy from Union Hall have been honoured for their role in leading the community response to the sinking of the trawler Tit Bonhomme with the loss of five lives in Glandore Harbour last January, writes Barry Roche.
President Michael D Higgins presented them with the Cork Person of the Year Award yesterday for their role in the search operation for the five missing men.
Skipper Michael Hayes (52) from Helvick Head in Co Waterford was lost along with his crewmates, Kevin Kershaw (21) from Clonakilty in Co Cork and Egyptians Wael Mohamed (35), Attaia Shaban (26) and Saied Ali Eldin (22).
A sixth member of the crew, Wael Mohammed’s brother, Abdelbaky Mohamed (43), a father of three, survived the sinking, having managed to swim over a mile towards shore.
The tragedy prompted a major search operation and after 26 days of searching, the fifth and final body – that of Saied Ali Eldin – was recovered from Glandore Harbour.