Galway GAA star helped save man’s life in dramatic St Patrick’s Day incident

Finian Hanley had an eventful St Patrick's Day.

The Galway full-back recounted his part in a dramatic incident on Saturday when he helped a Garda pull a man from the water beside the Spanish Arch. A man is reported to have jumped into the River Corrib at around 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon, not long after Ireland had beaten England in the Six Nations to win the Grand Slam. The man was hauled from the icy cold waters by two Garda officers and Hanley, who had been out walking with his wife and daughter. The brave officer jumped into the water immediately after spotting the man. His fellow officer threw them a lifebuoy when Hanley ran over to assist in dragging them towards dry land. The former Galway captain was quick to praise the bravery and vigilance of the Gardaí. “We saw the two Gardaí running towards the water," Hanley said via the Connacht Tribune. "It looked quite frantic so I ran to help. The water was pretty high and rough and they were stuck against the wall. It was difficult enough to hold on, so we needed to get them out quickly,” Hanley said.

“We just kind of yanked them out. They were probably in the water for five minutes. He [the Garda] was brave, that’s for sure. They don’t have an easy job.”

Hanley announced his retirement from inter-county football in December after a distinguished career in which he won three Connacht titles in 2005, 2008 and 2016. In club football, he helped Salthill-Knocknacarra to the All-Ireland club title in 2006, being named the man of the match in the final.