#Tragedy - A descendent of the Penney's retail empire has been hailed as a hero after attempting to save the lives of his son and his son's girlfriend in a tragedy off West Cork yesterday (Tuesday 30 June).
As the Irish Independent reports, 51-year-old Barry Ryan dived into the sea off a popular Baltimore beauty spot to try to rescue his son Barry Davis Ryan (21) and his son's girlfriend Niamh O'Connor (20).
Davis Ryan had himself entered the water to save his partner after she was apparently swept out to sea from the rocks near Baltimore village yesterday evening around 6pm.
With all three in difficulty, Ryan called for his daughter Charlotte (14) on shore to raise the alarm, and Baltimore RNLI was on scene within 10 minutes.
However, despite the best efforts of lifeboat crews from Baltimore and Union Hall and local search and rescue units, the bodies of Ryan and O'Connor were soon recovered and pronounced dead shortly after being airlifted to Cork University Hospital.
The search for Davis Ryan was expected to resume at first light this morning after poor conditions hindered efforts last night. The Irish Independent has more on the story HERE.
