‘Without the three guys up in the helicopter, it could have been a different outcome’ – Winchman honoured for saving tourists at popular site

The seas around Inis Mór were “rough” on the day of February 23, 2019, when an urgent call for assistance was received by Search and Rescue (SAR).

Two Italian brothers, Giovanni and Ricardo Zanon, had been holidaying in Co Galway when they got into trouble at a local beauty spot on Inis Mór known as the Worm Hole or Poll na bPéist.

They had fallen about 20 metres from the jagged cliff edge before being pulled into the Atlantic sea and washed back onto the rugged coast, both sustaining serious injuries.

The first to arrive at the scene was the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter, Rescue 115, carrying winchman and paramedic Philip Wrenn of CHC Ireland, which operates the rescue service.

Risking his own life, the dad-of-four was winched down to the bottom of the cliff as the water raged and all three narrowly avoided being pulled out to sea when an enormous wave hit Poll na bPéist.

Along with winch operator Ciarán McHugh and the two pilots, they winched both casualties off the cliff and transported them to Galway University Hospital for treatment.

Today saw Philip being honoured for his bravery with the Billy Deacon SAR Memorial Trophy, given to winchmen and winch operators working in rescue missions in Ireland and the UK.

It’s named after the Bristow helicopter winchman who died after rescuing 10 people from a cargo ship off the Shetland Islands in 1997.

Recalling the turbulent conditions on the day of the rescue, Philip said the area is renowned for accidents and the rescue mission nearly had a very tragic outcome.

“The two guys at the bottom of the cliff had been washed out to sea and washed back in again. While I was down there treating the two guys, that wave came in and hit us all,” he said.

“Without the three guys up in the helicopter, it could have been a different outcome altogether and we took the guys into Galway hospital and handed their care over,” he said.

He was “proud” to accept the award on behalf of the entire team and the successful rescue mission was down to their collective professionalism and experience.

Last year saw him and Ciarán reuniting with the two brothers they rescued at their home in Italy as part of a documentary for TG4.

Presenting him with the award in a virtual ceremony, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton, who has responsibility for the ICG, paid tribute to its “extraordinary” work.

“These roles require the highest degree of professionalism. I can only begin to imagine the skillset and team-work required by pilots and tech crew to position a helicopter in rolling seas,” she said. CHC Ireland has 138 staff employed here across four bases and operates a year-round service and last year alone it carried out 107 patient transfers from the Aran Islands.

Online Editors