A swimathon is being organised to raise funds for West Cork Rapid Response (WCRR) in memory of a student who fell 50ft to his death down a blowhole late at night while camping with friends near Garretstown beach in Co Cork.
Family and friends of Conor King from Douglas in Cork, who was laid to rest on his 23rd birthday, have raised €30,000 for the emergency services and WCRR since he passed away on April 24th, 2021.
His inquest in Bandon earlier this week heard that his friends went to his assistance with one young man, Gary Barrett, even going so far as to make his way in to the blowhole in a bid to assist Conor.
Gary, who is a trained lifeguard, administered CPR on his friend for 40 minutes and had to be persuaded by coastguard volunteers to leave the blowhole to seek treatment for hypothermia. He didn’t want to exit the blowhole without bringing Conor with him.
Conor was also a lifeguard and worked part time at Rochestown Park Hotel in the city. Staff are organising a swimathon set to take place on April 3rd in a bid to raise funds for WCRR. It is an entirely voluntary group working in partnership with the HSE National Ambulance Service.
Organisers said in an Instagram post that they decided to host the swimathon because of Conor’s love of the water.
“Conor had a great passion for all things water. Growing up, he swam competitively with Sunday’s Well and had an adoration for surfing.
“Conor began working in the Leisure Centre at the age of 18 and had a kind reputation, always giving great time to staff and members alike. He was a dependable, laid back, free spirit, fondly known as the ‘Fishking’ among staff in the Leisure Centre. Conor earned his name from the great care he took of the Leisure Centre fish tank.He is missed dearly by all staff and members alike.”
Appeal
Meanwhile, Conor’s mother Maura Duffy is appealing to the local authority to cordon off the blowhole to prevent further tragedies from occurring. Conor was chatting to friends not far from where they had camped and as it was dark he failed to realise that he was so close to the blowhole.
Ms Duffy told the Opinion Line on Cork’s 96FM that it doesn’t matter what red tape is involved the blowhole needs to be closed off from the public.
“I go up there [to the blowhole] on occasion. I had to go up there the first time on my hands and knees because I have always been afraid of heights and with the awfulness that my son fell from that height . . . I went up there on my hands and knees because I felt so insecure up there.
“Cllr Seamus McGrath has been on to the council [about closing it off]. He has been very helpful. The council said they don’t own it. Somebody else owns it.
“It is irrelevant who owns it. There is a responsibility to the people to protect them. That fire pit [the boys gathered around] was already there. It is still there. People continue to go up there.
“The Coroner said it should be fenced off and it is quite obviously a place that people go. I am not asking people to close the right of way but we need to protect the edge.”
Maura said she will treasure her memories of her precious only son.
“He was loved because he was such fun and he was kind. When we waked him [Conor] at home the boys came in droves in and out. Everybody had a beautiful story to tell about his kindness.
“I was always in awe of my son. He was so kind. Now he had a love for the finer things in life like his fancy car and fancy clothes. I used to teach him that they were not important.
“He loved the sea. He surfed all day that day [the day] he died. They had a beautiful day that day. And it was the end of Covid and the start of the summer. He and his friends had the most fun. They always seized the day.”
She said her hope is that Conor’s friends will “embrace the time they had with him” and look ahead to their futures. She paid tributes to her own beautiful friends who have “held” her through the grieving process.
“They come and cry with me and laugh with me. It is the understanding in grief that you can cry one second and laugh the next second. I never knew that. I never wanted to know.
“The friends that understand that are the ones that have helped me the most. There is a need to have fun in life. There is a need to continue your life. I am still alive and I still have gifts that other people haven’t.”
‘An incredible guy’
She stressed that she is thankful for the heroic effort of Conor’s friend, Gary, who swam in to the blowhole in a bid to save him.
“What an incredible guy. He has cropped up in our lives so many times since. He is so kind to us all. He approached the blowhole from the water side and it was nearly midnight. He was going in to dark sea. He had to swim into the blowhole. The boys were shining their phones down 50ft for light.
“Conor got washed in to another part of the blowhole. Gary found him, put him on a ledge and started CPR. He continued CPR for 40 minutes and every time a wave came in and washed over them Gary would cradle Conor and continue on with CPR. When the coastguard came down he was still holding Conor. He didn’t want to let him go. The comfort that is to me, that Conor’s friend did that in his last moments. He [Gary] is such a humble boy. He doesn’t want to hear it. But he is an amazing boy. I have no doubt Conor would have done it for him.”
She added that the “family feeling” among Conor’s friends is still incredible.
“I would hate and Conor would hate this to mar anybody’s life. I am determined for it not to destroy my life. It is catastrophic what has happened to us but yet we can have fun. It is what it is and you just keep going.
“I swim a kilometre and a half a day with my swimming friends. I get so much comfort from the continuity of the sea. The constancy of it is comforting and grounding. I walk and I walk, and I talk and I talk. I work three days a week in Cork Mental Health. My employers have been amazing.”
Conor was a bio-medical engineering student at Munster Technological University. He is survived by his parents Eamonn and Maura and his sister Aine.
Donations can be made to the Conor King fundraiser for West Cork Rapid Response here.