A 17-YEAR-OLD Irishman has been rightly hailed as a “hero” after coming to the rescue of a mother and daughter who were in danger of drowning in Co Carlow.
Miley Doran didn’t hesitate to come to the rescue of Stacey Foley and her 13-year-old daughter Sophie Foley-Smith after the pair got into difficulty in the River Barrow.
Even more incredible still, Doran kept the news of his courageous actions a secret from his family who only learned of his heroism later on social media.
Ann Langton, Stacey’s mother, described to KCLR how her daughter ended up in the river after attempting to rescue Sophie, who had already fallen in.
The situation turned even more serious when, in panic mode, Sophie latched onto her mum’s neck, leaving them both struggling to stay afloat.
In the ensuing chaos, Langston recalled how Doran, who was nearby, “didn’t even think of his own safety, just got up and jumped straight in, brought my granddaughter to the river banks, and then went back for my daughter."
“He’s just our hero,” she continued. “He’ll always, always be our hero. He has a special place in my heart, in their hearts.
“He should be rewarded. He had no second thoughts about it. He didn’t care about his own safety.”
Langton added: “All our family are more than grateful for him. He should be very proud of himself, and his family should be very proud, as I’m sure they are, of him.”
“The fact that the chap took his own life into his hands to save somebody else, in this day and age with all the corona and all the bad news, I just think he deserves to be praised.”
In an extraordinary twist, it later emerged that Doran didn’t even tell his mothr about his heroic actions – she only learned of them after Langston posted a message on Facebook thanking him.
On behalf of my DAUGHTER and GRANDDAUGHTER we would like to thank this young man Miley Doran for saving their lives...
Posted by Ann Langton on Monday, May 31, 2021
The message reads:
“On behalf of my DAUGHTER and GRANDDAUGHTER we would like to thank this young man Miley Doran for saving their lives yesterday by pulling them out of the BARROW you are truly our HERO and we feel everyone should know what you done RISKED your life for my family I will forever be in your debt YOUR family should be so proud of you and YOU should be so proud of yourself your a true HERO to us THANK YOU MILEY from the bottom of my heart ❤️ May God Bless you and all belong to you THANK YOU AGAIN X”
Doran is part of Ireland’s Traveller community, with his heroic actions earning praise across social media.
Maggie, his mother, told the Irish Examiner: “What he’s done, I am so proud of him.
"If he wasn’t there, God knows what would have happened.
"He took the chance himself and he brought them out.
“He told me he was walking up the banks of the river and he heard screams from a child in the water. He went in and saved the little one and then had to go back in after to save the mother."
See More: Co Carlow, Rescue
