Mayo Garda recalls dramatic 1997 rescue of family from sea caves
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Garda Ciarán Doyle, who received the Gold Scott Medal for Bravery for his role in the rescue, has given a rare first-hand account of the operation in an in-depth interview for The Póilíní Podcast.
An Irish historical true-crime podcast has recently featured an episode revisiting the dramatic rescue of a local family from Mayo’s Horse Island sea caves in 1997, which earned Garda Ciarán Doyle of the Garda Sub Aqua Unit the Gold Scott Medal for Bravery.
Now, almost 30 years later, he has given a rare first-hand account of the operation in an in-depth interview for The Póilíní Podcast, revisiting an extraordinary night which also saw the loss of two lives.
Garda Ciarán Doyle was among those involved in the operation at Belderrig, on the North May coast, when a Bank Holiday trip turned to terror and tragedy as a sudden storm hit.
In the podcast interview, he revisits the events in vivid detail, from the moment he was woken by the call to the surface swim through unprecedented sea conditions which brought the Murphy family to safety.
The Garda says that they had ‘never faced anything like this before.’
In rare personal insights, Ciarán reflects on the power of community that day and the lasting impact of the events on his life.
Presented by Garda Historian and former serving Garda, Dr John Reynolds, and Journalist and writer, Helen Moorhouse, the Póilíní Podcast brings listeners on a journey through stories from the history of Irish policing, stretching over 200 years.