In August, there was cause for celebration following the miraculous rescue of two cousins who spent 15 hours stranded at sea. Ellen Glynn and Sara Feeney got into difficulty after going paddleboarding at Furbo Beach in Co Galway. A major search and rescue operation was launched after the young women failed to return to shore and many feared the worst.
1. Galway ‘miracle’ rescue
The next morning, however, the pair were discovered by local fisherman Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan. Oliver used his fishing experience to predict where the young women might have drifted and located them some 17 miles from where they had last been seen.