Thank you, family of tragic R116 pilot tell the public
One year on, sister of R116 crash victim pays tribute
A POIGNANT tribute has been paid to the victims of the Rescue 116 helicopter crash, as family and friends gathered last night to mark the first anniversary of the Coast Guard flight tragedy.
Today marks one year since the helicopter went down near Blackrock Island with the loss of all four crew.
The bodies of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and Captain Mark Duffy were recovered but their colleagues, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith, remain lost at sea.
The sister of Dara Fitzpatrick thanked the public for their ‘prayers and hugs’ over the past year. In a heartfelt tribute on Twitter on Tuesday, Niamh Fitzpatrick said: ‘For all the calls, messages, prayers & hugs, a heartfelt thank you. We have an unbelievably tough time ahead, but the never-ending kindness & that powerful wave of support does help.
‘Through these absolute worst times in life I have seen the absolute best of humanity. Thank you.’
Leo Varadkar also paid tribute to the lost crew of R116 in the US yesterday.
‘It is the one year anniversary, and they have been on my mind. I have been reading some of the coverage of the anniversary when I have had time over the past couple of days,’ the Taoiseach said.
‘I am a former minister for transport, so I know the Coast Guard well, and indeed I met Captain Dara Fitzpatrick during my role as minister.
‘I am conscious at this stage that there are families who are still grieving and of course there are families who do not have the remains of their loved ones, and my thoughts are very much with them at this sad time.’
In an earlier tribute on the Dara Fitzpatrick Memorial Run on Facebook, the group recalled the tragic events of March 2017. It read: ‘On this night last year, four Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue helicopter crew set out on a mission and they never came home. Please take a moment to remember their courage and service and remember their families and (Coast Guard) family. #GoneNeverForgotten.’
The tribute was accompanied by an Ernest Hemingway quote: ‘Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.’ The moving tribute online comes a week after Captain Fitzpatrick’s sister spoke of the pain of losing her sister.
Rescue 116 was involved in a fatal accident which saw their Sikorsky S-92 helicopter crash at Blackrock Island off the coast of Mayo, while attending a rescue mission.
The bodies of Mr Ormsby and Mr Smith were never recovered, despite extensive searches of the surrounding area. The preliminary inquests were initially hoped to allow for registration of the deaths of the crew, allowing for death certificates to be issued.
The lead investigation, by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), which examines the chain of events which lead to crash, is not expected to be finished for some time. An inquest into their deaths was due to begin last week, however, the severe weather conditions forced this to be postponed until a later date.
A group of cyclists travelled to Blacksod earlier this week to mark the anniversary.
The Miles in their Memory cyclists also completed the 347km journey from Dublin as a tribute to Doolin Coast Guard volunteer, Caitríona Lucas, and in memory of all those who have died at sea.
‘I’ve seen the absolute best of humanity’
NIAMH Fitzpatrick, the sister of Rescue 116 pilot Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, has thanked the public for their support on the first anniversary of the helicopter crash in which Dara and three crew – Captain Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith – tragically died while on a mission off the coast of Co. Mayo.
It is hard to believe a year already has passed, and we send our sympathy once again to the families of those who were lost, especially the families of Paul and Ciarán, whose remains were never recovered, and for whom today must be doubly sad and poignant.
But it also offers an opportunity for us to remember and recognise the work of all in the emergency services, who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe.
We probably don’t say it often enough, but thank you, all of you, for your selflessness and bravery.