As for air-sea helicopter rescue, the first such mission in Irish waters had occurred only five months previously – and not too far from Portnoo. Over the following months, the rescue was the talk of the county, and the wreck of the Greenhaven attracted much tourist traffic. “There were 18 on board the punt, mainly young children, none of them wearing lifejackets,”James Gallagher recalls. Several local doctors met the Gallaghers’ fishing vessel as it landed in Portnoo. At home in Burtonport, James still has a photo of their half decker, at anchor close to where the rescue took place.

Source: The Irish Times March 06, 2018 00:00 UTC