Tributes were paid to two heroic Cork men who carried out a courageous sea rescue at a beach in the county on Sunday and, it is now presumed, lost their own lives in the attempt.
Jonathan Herlihy (23), from Springmount, Glanmire, and Peter O'Keeffe (37), from Ballincollig, went to the assistance of a young couple who got into difficulty in the water at Owenahincha beach near Rosscarbery in west Cork.
Shortly after 1.30pm, Mr Herlihy and Mr O'Keeffe spotted the couple struggling in the water and joined forces in an attempt to save them. Mr O'Keeffe and Mr Herlihy did not know each other and had arrived at the beach separately.
The two men were swept out to sea during their rescue operation. The couple managed to make their way ashore on a lifebuoy the two men had brought out to them. The man and woman, who are in their 20s, were treated for shock but were not injured during the incident.
Mr Herlihy was due to graduate next week from University College Cork with a BSc in finance and was a talented soccer player. Mr O'Keeffe was the son of well-known businessman Reg O'Keeffe and a director at the family business, Celtic Fuels Ltd, on the Link Road in Cork city.
In an interview, Mr Herlihy's mother, Eileen, said her son went to the pair's assistance because he could not have lived with himself if they had died. Mrs Herlihy said she had asked her son not to go in the water but he insisted on attempting the rescue. "Jonathan wouldn't have wanted their deaths on his conscience. He had to go and save them."
Mr O'Keeffe's father said yesterday: "Peter and Anne [his fiancee] had their whole lives ahead of them. Peter was the future of this company as well. I just hope the sea gives them back to us."
Glanmire parish priest Fr Liam O'Driscoll said locals were shocked and stunned by what had happened to young Jonathan. "We had a Mass this morning and we prayed for Jonathan. It is devastating for his family. He died saving the lives of two other people. We also prayed for the rescued people this morning."
It is understood Mr Herlihy recently bought a mobile home at a caravan park in Owenahincha.
Mr O'Keeffe was yesterday described by friends as having been a quiet, unassuming man.
Ballincollig-based Fine Gael councillor Derry Canty said Mr O'Keeffe would be remembered as a man who made an enormous contribution to the local community. "The O'Keeffes were always fantastic to the community. They were involved in the Ballincolling Enterprise Board and sponsored it and so on. Peter was very quiet but a lovely lad. He was a humble man."
Ballincollig parish priest Fr George O'Mahony said his "heart went out"to the O'Keeffe family following their tragic loss.
The Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley also extended his condolences to the families.
The search for the two men resumed at first light yesterday. On Sunday the LE Aoife, the Irish Coast Guard and the Lifeboat Service searched the area around Owenahincha Strand for seven hours. More than 60 people were involved in yesterday's search operation, which was extended beyond the bay. However, Courtmacsherry lifeboat continued to search the water close to the shore with the assistance of the coast guard helicopter.