Dingle: Crew honoured after 14 fishermen rescued from stricken boat

After almost 30 years of rescuing people up and down Ireland's coastline from helicopters, Jim O'Neill thought he'd seen almost everything. That was until the call came in just before last Christmas. The French fishing vessel Fastnet, and its 14-strong crew, was stranded on rocks in County Kerry, having suffered engine failure while leaving Dingle Harbour. Near gale-force winds and strong Atlantic waves had run it aground and were threatening to capsize or break it apart, leaving the crew at the mercy of the ocean. Enter O'Neill and the crew of Irish Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 115, who were part of a huge emergency response to get the 14 men to safety. O'Neill, originally from Strabane, County Tyrone, described it as the most challenging rescue he had ever faced, one which could have resulted in a major maritime tragedy. "We couldn't be certain going into it how it was going to turn out because, by the nature of it, we knew it was going to be very high risk," he said. "Success was not by any means guaranteed or certain." Now O'Neill has been hailed as a hero, having been presented with an award to mark his actions that day at a ceremony held at the House of Commons. The Billy Dea