Four American men who went to Ireland for a vacation became heroes there after they saved a little girl and her father from drowning.
The men were brothers Eoghan, Walter, and Declan Butler from Washington, D.C., and their brother-in-law, Alex Thompson. They had traveled to the Emerald Isles to attend their grandfather’s funeral. The young men were having a relaxing afternoon on Portmarnock Beach when they heard a cry for a lifeguard.
They saw a 6-year-old girl on a floatie being carried away by the rough waves in the sea. Her father was shouting for help. Eoghan, Declan, and Alex didn’t hesitate and jumped into the water to rescue her, while Walter stayed on the beach in case they needed CPR.
It was a risky and exhausting task for the fit boys. They had to swim for almost 25 minutes, as the girl had drifted half a mile from the shore. When they finally reached her, the brothers took turns swimming on their backs and holding the girl on their chests.
They brought the girl back to the land safely, but they realized that her father was still in the water after he had put on a life vest and tried swimming out to help with the rescue mission. The twin brothers, Eoghan and Declan, went back to the water and saved him too.
The young men were happy to save the father and daughter, but they were also moved by the visit of the girl’s mother the next day. She thanked them and hugged them. “Seeing her jump around and kiss her mom, that was actually amazing,” Declan said.
The rescue mission had a special significance for the boys because they found out that it happened on the same day that their grandfather’s brother drowned 64 years ago.
“It’s kind of like this godly, guardian angel kind of feeling,” Walter said, “that the same day he drowned 64 years ago is the day we actually saved the life of a 6-year-old girl.”
We are so proud of these good Samaritans from another country who saved the lives of a little Irish girl and her father.