The mother of a 22-year-old student who fell 60 feet to his death down a blowhole while camping in Garretstown, Co Cork, has paid an emotional tribute to his friends who made heroic efforts to save him.
The inquest into the death of Conor King from Douglas in Cork city heard that his friend Gary Barrett, who was a trained lifeguard, immediately went into the blowhole in the aftermath of the incident which occurred at around 11.30pm on 24 April 2021.
Coroner Frank O'Connell said the group of Mr King's friends were enjoying an "innocent" night having pitched a tent and lit a fire when tragedy struck.
Mr King, who was a bio-medical engineering student at MTU, stood up and took a few steps backwards, not realising he was so close to a blowhole.
A blowhole is a hole in the ground that connects to a cave opening into the sea.
The inquest in Bandon courthouse heard that Mr Barrett, having made his way into the blowhole, performed CPR for 40 minutes and had to be persuaded by the emergency services to leave the area to receive treatment for hypothermia.
The inquest was told that he did not want to be lifted from the blowhole without his friend. He had run into the sea to gain access to the blowhole from the seaward side in order to help Mr King.
Other friends also attempted to help in the rescue in the blowhole. They used their phones as torches prior to the arrival of the emergency services.
At the conclusion of the inquest Mr King's mother, Maura, said that she was forever in the debt of her son's friends. She asked them to remember the "beautiful days" they had with Conor before his life was ended prematurely.
Her husband Eamonn said that he was conscious of how good the group of friends were to Mr King during a life in which he packed in a lot of living.
The inquest had heard evidence from several of the youths who had gone camping in Garretstown beach on the night of the tragedy.
Mark Morton said that one minute Mr King was talking to them and the next he had fallen in to the blowhole.
Mr Morton said they put on their phone flashlights and could see Mr King in the blowhole. They started shouting hoping they could wake him.
He told the Coroner that Gary Barrett immediately went to the assistance of Mr King. He swam into the blow hole through an opening. Mr Morton said that Mr Barrett administered CPR and "cradled (Mr) King to stop the waves from hitting him".
The inquest heard that a slight incline, along with the darkness, made the blowhole even more deceptive to the eye.
Another friend Ronan Keogh said that Mr King took a few steps backwards and fell into the blowhole.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said that death would have been immediate and that Mr King would not have suffered.
Dr Bolster said that Mr King died of poly trauma with head, chest and abdominal injuries consistent with a fall.
Coroner Frank O’Connell recorded a verdict of accidental death. He stated that he planned to write to Cork County Council about the possibility of setting up a danger sign or fencing off the area close to the blowhole.
Both he and gardaí offered their condolences to the family and friends of Mr King.
He also paid tribute to Mr Barrett for his "heroic bravery" on the night whilst commending Eamon Barry of the Irish Coastguard whom he said prevented any further tragedy from occurring when he enabled the rescue operation which saw Mr Barrett taken from the blowhole.
