THE WOMAN who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in Co Clare on Tuesday was attempting to save her son at the time.
Fiona Ring (39), Bruff, Co Limerick, was on holidays in Clare with her husband Diarmuid and their nine-year-old son when they went to the main beach at Lahinch on Tuesday evening.
It is now believed the child got into difficulty while in the water and Mrs Ring shouted to her husband to take him ashore. Shortly before 9.30pm, as it had started to get dark, Mr Ring made his way back to the beach with the youngster while Ms Ring followed behind.
However, when Mr Ring reached the beach he could see no sign of his wife behind him. He ran to the prom and grabbed a lifebelt before returning to the water to try to locate her.
Soon afterwards he alerted gardaí at Ennistymon, who notified the coast guard.
Lahinch Sea Rescue spokesman Tom O'Sullivan said when he reached the scene he met the man and his child. "I didn't have to ask him anything, I just knew because he was very distressed."
Lahinch Sea Rescue launched a boat and a request was made of a fishing boat in the bay to assist in the search. The search was originally concentrated near the lifeguard tower where the woman was last seen. Emergency vehicles gathered on the beach and volunteers combed the shoreline.
Doolin Coast Guard spokesman Mattie Shannon said the crew spotted the woman in the water and took her on board. They then transferred her to a helicopter which was standing by. She was flown to University Hospital Galway but was pronounced dead less than 20 minutes later.
It is not clear how Mrs Ring got into difficulty but rescuers think she may have been taken by surprise by the changing tide. A postmortem was carried out in Galway yesterday and gardaí say a file will be prepared for the County Coroner, who will hold an inquest at a later date.
Lahinch beach is one of a number of guarded beaches in Clare which are protected by lifeguards during the summer. They are on duty from 11am to 7pm daily and have a list of emergency contact numbers. A new 25ft lifeguard tower is under construction.
Clare County Council's water safety officer Liam Griffin said it was important that people obeyed the flags indicating whether it was safe to swim at a particular location at a given time. It was equally important that people only swam at guarded beaches.
Conditions in Lahinch on Tuesday night were reported to be poor, with high winds and heavy rain at times. "While Lahinch is a very safe beach," Mr Griffin said, "people must know their limitations and follow safety guidelines."
Almost 12 months ago a 19-year-old man from Clontarf, Dublin, drowned at Lahinch after going swimming in the early hours after a night socialising.
Last week, Munster and Ireland rugby player Paul O'Connell helped a 22-year-old surfer to safety after her board hit rocks in a rising tide. O'Connell, who was also surfing at the time, lifted the woman to safety after rough seas tossed her on to rocks as she tried to reach shore.
The Rings had three children, two girls and a boy.