A teenager rescued after 15 hours at sea says she and her cousin were in "such disbelief" that they were being saved.
Ellen Glynn (17) and Sara Feeney (23) drifted out while paddle-boarding at Furbo Beach in Galway on Wednesday night.
They were rescued yesterday afternoon by a local fisherman and his son.
The two young women were found after 15 hours in the water, and more than 27 kilometres away from where they'd set off.
Speaking from hospital, Ellen told Lunchtime Live that she and Sara tried to stay positive throughout the ordeal, but there was initially a sense of panic.
She said: "We started paddling out - and [after] just a few minutes... we looked back and we had gone really deep into the water. It had gotten really windy and we hadn't noticed it.
"We tried to go back - but we just couldn't make it back.
"I was quite panicked for a few minutes - but then we decided not to panic, not to have any negative thoughts, and everything would be OK. We tried to stay calm and positive."
Ellen explained that it was pitch black by the time they spotted the first boat.
She said: "That was going around, and we thought the lights on the boat might pick up the high-vis on our life jackets... but it didn't.
"We were screaming at it, but it was just so windy they couldn't hear anything.
"We thought for sure with the big lights on the helicopter that we'd be seen... but I'd say we were just missed. We got a bit unlucky."
Overnight ordeal
When everything got dark, Ellen said she and her cousin stopped paddling - eventually finding out they were drifting in the complete opposite direction than they initially thought they were.
She explained: "We were just in our bikinis. As soon as the sun went down, it started to get freezing. Then there was thunder and lighting and lashing rain... we were frozen.
"My memory is a bit fogged now because I'm so in shock, but we were just trying to stay calm.
"We were talking about things - like 'when we get back I can't wait to be wrapped in a blanket'".
Thursday morning was initially foggy, but when the fog lifted Ellen and Sara could see the Cliffs of Moher to one side of them, and the Aran Islands to another side.
They managed to cling to a lobster pot buoy to help stay afloat, and were discovered by fisherman Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan.
Ellen said they were in "such disbelief" when they were finally rescued.
She said: "When were on the boat with them, they wrapped us up in their jackets and stuff and gave us drinks.
"They brought us to Inisheer, and we got straight on the helicopter... on the helicopter they had these big fancy blankets for us, and gave us chocolate bars and juice and everything."
Ellen said she and Sara are "so, so grateful" to the Olivers, and that they don't know what would have happened had they not been found.
Main image: Ellen Glynn
Read more: 'They were just happy to be alive' - Father of teenager rescued at sea
