One of the two young women who were rescued off the coast of Galway last month after spending 15 hours at sea, has said that they are "so grateful" to be here.
Cousins Ellen Glynn and Sara Feeney got into difficulty while paddleboarding at Furbo Beach, and were blown out to sea.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Late Late Show, 17-year-old Ellen said it was scary to see the reality of the situation they were in.
"It's crazy that we're alive and we're so lucky to be here," she said.
Ms Feeney, 23, told the programme that when they were on the way out paddleboarding the wind had changed but they did not realise it in time.
"It was just unfortunate that we didn't have a phone on us that evening", she said, "we were unprepared and should have had it with us".
Ms Feeney said that when night fell, they realised that they were in more of a serious situation than they initially thought.
They both tied their paddleboards together, which were attached to the buoys of a lobster pot.
'We were thinking happy thoughts.' Cousins Ellen Glynn and Sara Feeney say they did not talk about what could go wrong while stranded at sea off the coast of Galway last month | https://t.co/GAaP6ohEDs pic.twitter.com/5fJKafODQG
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 4, 2020
Ellen said they both did not talk out loud about what could go wrong, and instead talked about being rescued.
"We were talking about what it would be like when we got saved, what we would do when we got home and Sara had work the next morning!", she said.
To comfort each other, Ellen said that they sang Taylor Swift songs.
"We were more than happy to do anything to keep the spirits up even if was just a quick minute," Ms Feeney said.
She said they did not want to start panicking while Ellen said she prayed and tried to think "happy thoughts".
Ms Feeney said there was a lot of screaming throughout the night, and that they would have been "ridiculously lucky" if someone found them in the dark.
She said when a boat eventually spotted them the next morning, there was "great relief".
'The wind was so strong nobody could hear us scream' - Ellen Glynn
Fisherman Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan were part of the search for the two cousins.
Mr Oliver told the programme that he woke Morgan in the morning and left straight away, saying that his "paternal instinct" kicked in when he heard the girls were missing.
'We found them, but they saved themselves' - fisherman Patrick Oliver, who along with his son Morgan took part in the rescue of Ellen Glynn and Sara Feeney | https://t.co/GAaP6ohEDs pic.twitter.com/MZwlOcdtZ8
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 4, 2020
Ms Feeney said her legs collapsed when they initially tried to get onto the boat. Mr Oliver said they found the cousins, but they actually saved themselves.
Since their rescue, Ms Feeney that life for them both has been busy and overwhelming. "We're just so grateful to be here," she said.
The two young women thanked everyone involved in the effort to find them, with Ellen praising the RNLI in particular.
Galway City Mayor Mike Cubbard said on Twitter that he was looking forward to recognising Patrick and Morgan with a special mayoral reception.
Looking forward to recognising Patrick & Morgan with a Mayoral Reception soon as well as acknowledging all who volunteer in a search and rescue. Each of you deserve every thanks. I will also be delighted to welcome Sara, Ellen and their families to city hall#latelate #Galway
— Mayor Mike Cubbard (@Mcubbard) September 4, 2020
"I will also be delighted to welcome Sara, Ellen and their families to City Hall," he added.
Mr Cubbard said every volunteer involved in search and rescue deserved thanks.
