Great-grandfather who died while swimming in sea likely to have suffered cardiac event, inquest told
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard that the great-grandfather had been found in an unresponsive state in the water at Killiney Beach by a passer-by earlier that morning
An octogenarian who got into difficulty in the sea at a popular bathing spot in south Dublin two years ago is likely to have suffered some type of cardiac event while participating in his daily swim, an inquest has heard.
Niall O’Donoghue (81) of Martello Tower, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, Co Dublin died in St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin on May 8, 2022.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard that the great-grandfather had been found in an unresponsive state in the water at Killiney Beach by a passer-by earlier that morning.
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The deceased’s son, Philip O’Donoghue, said he had gone to the beach after being alerted by his sister, Emma, that his father had got into difficulty during his regular swim in Killiney.
Mr O’Donoghue told the coroner, Cróna Gallagher, that he was informed by gardaí shortly after arriving at the hospital that his father had passed away.
Asked by the coroner if the deceased was in the habit of swimming on his own, Mr O’Donoghue said it depended as his father was an all-year-round swimmer and a member of Killiney Swimming Club.
He stressed that his father would stay within his depth and swim parallel to the shore.
Mr O’Donoghue also pointed out that his father had taken a video of Killiney Beach on the morning of his fatal swim and it showed the area was empty apart from one person in the distance.
The inquest heard that the water was “like glass” that morning but the sea had become rougher by the time the witness arrived at the beach.
His sister, Emma, informed the coroner that her father had suffered a cardiac event after swimming in Killiney a few months earlier in December 2021.
“He just collapsed after getting out of the water,” she recalled.
The inquest heard that family members had tried to persuade him to just get in and out of the water quickly in future after that event but that Mr O’Donoghue persisted with his swimming habits stating that “cold water will do me good.”
Mr O’Donoghue said his father returned to good health after that incident and became visibly stronger after returning to regular swimming and lifting weights.
“He was very fit all his life,” he added.
The inquest heard the deceased was a keen swimmer who also participated in scuba diving and was a regular runner until about six years before his death.
In a written statement, a woman who had gone to Killiney Beach to go swimming, Bridget McCaul, said she noticed someone in difficulty in the water at around 9.30am.
Ms McCaul said she recognised it was Mr O’Donoghue as they were in the same swimming club and she raised the alarm.
The inquest heard she told the deceased’s relatives that she had seen a white object in the water which she then realised was a swimming cap.
She managed to pull the swimmer who was face down in the water to the shore but he was unresponsive.
In another written statement, a consultant in emergency medicine at SVUH, Rosa McNamara, said the patient’s heart had stopped by the time he had arrived at the hospital and he was pronounced dead at 11.34am.
A postmortem showed Mr O’Donoghue had a slightly enlarged heart as well as a 90% blockage of his main coronary artery.
The coroner confirmed that no drugs or alcohol were found in the deceased’s body.
Dr Gallagher said it did not appear that Mr O’Donoghue had drowned because he was not a good swimmer or because of difficult sea conditions.
She said it was more likely that he had experienced some cardiac event while swimming.
The coroner formally recorded the cause of death as due to drowning with ischemic heart disease related to a cardiac event while swimming.
Dr Gallagher observed that what happened could have been equally fatal if it had occurred while Mr O’Donoghue was in his living room or asleep.
“We will never know,” she remarked.
The coroner said the deceased was “just unfortunate” especially as he was such a strong swimmer.
Returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Gallagher offered her condolences to Mr O’Donoghue’s family on the death of “an extremely active man who was very determined and who enjoyed excellent health.”
The inquest also heard that Mr O’Donoghue was responsible for the restoration of the Martello Tower in Killiney which became his residence as well as the installation of a cannon within its grounds.
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