AN INQUEST into the death of a young mother who drowned off Lahinch, Co Clare, last summer, has been adjourned to next month to ascertain why it took so long for the rescue services to reach her.
Fiona Ring (39), from Camass North, Bruff, Co Limerick, had gone swimming from the main beach with her husband, Diarmaid, and nine-year-old son on the evening of July 29th last year.
Mr Ring told the hearing he believed a current had quickly turned a safe swimming area into hostile waters and had resulted in his wife being unable to make her way to shore. He raised a number of concerns relating to the rescue.
The inquest was told by a witness that the first 999 call was made at 9.15pm, and she estimated that the Doolin Search and Rescue boat did not reach the scene until approximately 45 minutes later. Pat Hartigan, from the separate voluntary Lahinch Search and Rescue service (affiliated to the Irish Coast Guard), said he was paged from the headquarters at Valentia Island, Co Kerry, at 9.36pm.
The crew had to dispatch a smaller boat by road before a larger one could be sent by sea.
He was in the latter vessel and arrived at the scene at 10.25pm. He said the dispatch time for the smaller boat would be about 15 minutes at that time of night.
Within about five minutes of arriving they spotted the body 700m out from the rocks at the beach.
Coroner Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin adjourned the inquest until June 18th, at the request of Mrs Ring’s family, so that further inquiries could be carried out, and certain personnel be asked to attend.