The ‘mind messages that helped save life’ of miracle Galway girl
MIRACLE teenager Ellen Glynn, who survived 15 hours stranded in the open sea with her cousin, has revealed she kept repeating “mind messages” of hope to her mum throughout the ordeal.
Ellen (17) and Sarah Feeney (23), both from Cappagh Road in Knocknacarra, Galway city, were discovered clinging to a buoy around 17 miles from where they set off paddleboarding on Furbo beach on Wednesday night.
The girls were rescued by fisherman Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan. Their knowledge of the sea correctly pinpointed the girls’ trajectory across Galway Bay and outwards towards the Atlantic.
Last night Ellen remained in hospital for another night but said she was feeling good.
“I’m grand. I was on an adrenaline high (following the rescue). It’s starting to wear off now, but I’m fine,” she added.
Ellen stressed that throughout the nightmare ordeal, her primary thoughts were of her loved ones.
“At the very, very beginning I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die’,” she said.
“But then we were pretty sure we would be okay.
“We had to be calm and stay positive, but the big worry we had was our parents were going to think we had drowned.
“I kept saying to myself, ‘Oh my God, I hope my granny doesn’t know’.
“I sat there in the ocean and was saying over and over, ‘Mum, I’m okay. Mum, I’m safe. Mum, I’m going to come home and I’m going to be fine’.
“When I saw her and was finally talking to her, she said, ‘I just knew you were going to be okay. I was telling everyone you were completely fine’.
“I was literally sending her mind messages.”
Minutes after she heard that Ellen and Sarah were alive, Deirdre, Ellen’s mum, said she never gave up hope of seeing her daughter again.
“I just felt the whole time in my gut that she was okay. She is so level-headed and calm and strategic in her thinking that I just knew,” she explained.
“I really did think that she was just swept into a cave. I said to myself that she would have deflated the board, wrapped it around them and waited until morning.
“I thought we would meet her walking along the road somewhere. In my gut I knew she was okay. She’s tough.”
Despite rough sea conditions, the cousins managed to fall asleep on their boards “for a few seconds at a time”.
When they awoke the waves “were huge — they were splashing on us”.
“For a while that was scary, but we were able to stay on the boards,” Ellen said.
When the sun came up, the girls could make out the Cliffs of Moher and Inis Oirr.
Realising the waves could push them out into the Atlantic, they paddled furiously to reach the island, but the waves were too high.
Just as exhaustion was proving too much, the buoy of a lobster pot appeared and they realised that they could tether themselves to it.
“We tied our boards to it and then took turns to sleep on our boards,” Ellen said.
“In hindsight, it is weird that we just stayed so calm. We just thought, ‘We can’t drift out there’, and didn’t expand on it.”
Ellen used the strap from her paddleboard to clip their boards onto the buoy and tied the boards together using leashes attached to each board.
“When we weren’t paddling, we were holding on to each other’s board,” she explained.
One day on from their dramatic rescue, Ellen is overwhelmed by the kindness shown to her and Sarah by everyone who had been searching for them, especially rescuers Patrick and Morgan.
“I was saying to them, ‘Oh my God, are you our guardian angels? We have been out here since last night and nobody has even come looking for us’. I thought that they were just out fishing.
“They said, ‘No, there are at least 20 boats out looking for you’. They were so lovely to us. They were so good.
“They wrapped us up completely, covered us with heavy blankets. They gave us drinks.
“My hand was sticking out and he (Morgan) put it in through the sleeve of one of their jumpers, so I was completely covered and warm.
“We’re just so grateful to everyone.”
Galway United held a minute’s applause at their game at home to Longford Town last night as a gesture of thanks towards those who played a role in the rescue of Ellen, daughter of club star Johnny.
Johnny was a former striker for Galway United and has a role at the club as head of youth development.
Galway United’s vice president Bernie O’connell said the rescue of the two young women had given Galway “a huge lift” and compared it to winning an All-ireland final.
Mr O’connell, a family friend of the Glynns, added: “People in Galway and indeed Ireland are overwhelmed with joy at the rescue of Sarah and Ellen.
“It is absolutely wonderful news and everyone is just so relieved.
“It was like winning the FAI Cup or an All-ireland... people are just over the moon.
“It was a remarkable conclusion to a harrowing experience for the family.”