AN “HEROIC” MAN died after he rushed to save the lives of six people who were struggling in the water at Inch Beach in Co Cork following a sudden and deadly rip current, an inquest has heard.

A verdict of accidental death was today recorded at the inquest in to the death of Stephen O’Callaghan of Ashburton Hill, Montenotte in Cork city.

He died of acute respiratory failure due to drowning having gone to the aid of four young children and their two parents when they got caught up in a powerful rip current shortly before 3pm on 23 August 2024.

The 55-year-old saved the life of a 10-year-old boy. His nephew, Eoghan O’Callaghan, managed to bring the 8-year-old brother of the boy to safety.

Two other children, who were both aged ten, and two women were helped to the shore by members of the local surf club and other locals at the scene who had rushed to their assistance.

A mother whose two young boys were saved by Stephen and his nephew said that she had met up with friends and their children at the beach that day.

The children had gone for a surf lesson before they and their mothers went to the sauna and then for a swim.

She recalled going into the water.

“I nor any one of us were out of our depth. The waves were choppy. It was a bright, sunny, windy day. The tide was a long way out. I was watching the kids,” she said. 

“It all happened very fast. I saw (my friend) gesturing for me to come to the left. I tried, but failed. I knew we were in trouble. I was swimming, getting nowhere, and could not find my footing anymore. It was hard to hear with the noise from the wind and water.”

She said she shouted for help and a man standing not far from her, Stephen O’Callaghan, came to her assistance. She told him she was worried about her 10-year-old before he went to help him. 

“Stephen’s brave actions saved his life. I was tiring and could not see everything that was happening around me,” she said, adding that Eoghan O’Callaghan brought her youngest son to safety. 

She also praised nieces of the deceased, Grainne and Niamh O’Callaghan, who were “very reassuring” when she and the other mother were in difficulty in the water.

She told Coroner Frank O’Connell that that Stephen and his nephew were “heroic.”

“If it was not for the actions and bravery of Stephen, his nieces, nephew and family, we would not have survived. We will be forever thankful for their actions.”

She said the Coast Guard then arrived and commenced a search for Stephen before the Emergency Services took over. 

“There is not a day goes by that I don’t think of Stephen and what happened that day. He will always be in my thoughts and prayers. I will be forever thankful to him.”

The inquest also heard from Keith O’Callaghan who was with daughters, his brother Stephen and their father John at the beach that day. He and Stephen were in the water with other family members when conditions deteriorated.

Keith O’Callaghan said that his brother “ran in to the danger area” to assist a child. Keith attempted to support his brother in the rescue attempt, but he got in to difficulty and was rescued by a person on a surf board.

A statement from Eoghan O’Callaghan was read in to evidence. He said that his uncle was an “amazing person” who was “always ready to help anyone.”

Paddy Enright, who operates a sauna at the beach, ran in to the water with two other men to assist those in difficulty in the water. He said that Stephen “died a hero” having “sacrificed his life to help others.

Garda Thomas Duane said that Stephen was found face down in a gully on the rocks around a half an hour after the tragedy occurred. CPR was administered and he was formally pronounced dead at 4.15pm.

Duane said that the body was swept on to the rocks by a “very strong rip current.” He said that the actions of the deceased and others prevented an even more serious tragedy from occurring.

He confirmed to the Coroner that warning signs in relation to rip currents are on display at the beach. The Garda emphasised that when a rip current occurs “you feel you are standing on nothing.”

“People don’t understand how dangerous it is.”

The Coroner said that multiple deaths could have occurred on the day.

“It’s a terrible tragedy, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Fergus Wall, a man who lives within 200 metres of the beach, told the Coroner that there was no fixed pattern to the rip currents at Inch beach.

“It is unpredictable. It can be a different rip current every day of the week. You can swim parallel to the rip current (to get to safety) but that is easier said than done. Everyone in the water that day was pulled to the right.”

Wall said that it was a “very popular beach.” However, he noted that it is not manned by lifeguards because of the dangers associated with rip currents.

O’Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. The Coroner stated that Stephen O’Callaghan died following a “dangerous rip current on a public beach.”

He joined gardaí in extending his condolences to the family of the deceased and all those impacted by the tragedy. He said that the quick thinking actions of Stephen and others had prevented an even greater tragedy from occurring.

“They were heroes who saved lives.”

Following the inquest, John O’Callaghan said that his son had prevented other people from drowning over the course of his life.

He recalled a time when Stephen saved two teenage boys from the water in Rosscarbery in west Cork.

Stephen “dragged one boy out” and then did the same for the other. “He saved their lives, but he didn’t want thanks,” he said. 

He added that Stephen was his great pal as well as his son.

Emmet O’Callaghan said that his brother was the type of person who instinctively went to the aid of others. He recalled an incident in Kerry where Stephen had gone into sea to save a “couple of young people who were in trouble.”

O’Callaghan said that his brother was “very much a hero on the day he died.”

He said “everybody did what they were supposed to do on the day.” However, unfortunately he lost his brother because of it. He said he had tried to save his brother but conditions “just because too much.”

The O’Callaghan family said that Stephen loved his work with Irish Customs. He also had a passion for music and mountain climbing. They donated his keyboards to a special needs school in the wake of his death.

They expressed their appreciation for Garda Thomas Duane, the emergency services and all who assisted the family on the day their brother died.

The search and rescue operation had involved the coast guard units at Guileen and Crosshaven, along with the RNLI from Ballycotton and Crosshaven. Rescue Helicopter 117 from Waterford was also tasked to go to Inch Beach.