Rose Conway-Walsh: Calls for answers after R116 air accident report
Rose Conway-Walsh addressed the publication of the air accident report into the R116 tragedy and welcomed its release so the long-awaited inquest can proceed. She expressed solidarity with the families of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith and urged full implementation of the report's 42 recommendations and clear accountability.
Immediate response and condolences
She welcomed the report's publication and thanked the community and emergency services involved, including local Gardaí, RNLI, fishermen and others. She said the people of the Mullet Peninsula and the wider Mayo area share a special affinity with the families and recalled Black Rock and Black Sod Bay as places of memory.
Unrecovered crew and legal caution
She noted that the bodies of Winchman Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith have not yet been recovered and said she was careful not to jeopardise any future legal actions in her remarks. Her comments were framed by sympathy for the families of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.
Questions about delays and systemic failures
She asked why the issues identified were not rectified sooner, saying the system had been trusted to keep crews and volunteers safe but that trust was broken. She highlighted specific concerns such as the absence of Black Rock in mapping and a lack of holistic action across agencies, describing the resulting confusion and unmet warnings.
Safety, equipment and standards
She called for procurement of cutting-edge equipment while managing the glitches that can accompany new technology and stressed the need for consistency in equipment, training and standards. She asked whether current regulatory and legislative structures across the search and rescue framework are appropriate and suggested benchmarking best practices internationally.
Accountability, implementation and oversight
She demanded that the 42 recommendations be implemented and that those accountable for overseeing implementation be publicly known. She called for robust action from the minister, the Department of Transport, the Irish Coast Guard and other search and rescue bodies, and echoed the call for a timeline, continuous reviews and updates so crews and the public can have confidence.
Legacy and resolve
She warned that, while the recommendations come too late for those who died, their lives must not be in vain and the lessons must be learned. She concluded that the State and agencies must ensure this never happens again and reiterated her thoughts for the families who will always be in the hearts of the people of Mayo and Eris.
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Thank you, Minister. Like others, I welcome the publication of the air accident report into the R116 tragedy, which will now enable the inquest, the long-awaited inquest, to go ahead. My thoughts are with the families of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith. We who live on the Mullet Peninsula and the wider Mayo area share a special affinity with these families and with the crew. The whole community took them into their hearts as the tragedy unfolded in the early hours of March 14, 2017. And their courage and dedication is forever remembered when we look out on Black Rock and Black Sod Bay. And I want to take this opportunity to thank all of those involved, all of the community who were involved, all of the agencies that were involved on the ground, the local Gardaí, the RNLI fishermen and so many others who pulled together in that awful time following the terrible accident that happened. And we are continuously mindful that the bodies of Winchman, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith have not been yet recovered. I am very conscious as I talk about this, that not to jeopardise any future legal actions, so that curtails what I will say. But you detailed so many actions in your contribution, Minister, and of course the question is, why has it taken so long? We would have assumed that all of the things that are in this report, we automatically trusted, we trusted that the system worked. We trusted that the system worked to keep crews safe, to keep volunteers safe. And we are shocked to find out that this was not the case. And we ask why, why things are identified and not rectified. It is very plain that these things were identified. Nobody was listening. We look at Black Rock, you know, why did a natural structure, the size and the height of Black Rock, not appear in the mapping. It is absolutely unbelievable. Why agencies have a common purpose, but do not act more holistically. And why did we have so much confusion? We ask what lessons can be learned and how we can procure the cutting edge equipment that we need while safeguarding the glitches of bringing on this new technology. How do we ensure consistency with equipment, with training and with standards? And are the regulatory and legislative structures appropriate, consistent across the whole SAR framework? And do we need to look more globally to benchmark best practices in regulation, in training and in operation? And unfortunately, all of this is too late for Dara, for Mark, for Paul and for Ciarán. But we must not let their lives or their deaths be in vain. The 42 recommendations must be implemented. And I am glad to hear you detail this evening in how they are going to be implemented. And those accountable for overseeing the implementation of these recommendations must be known. We must have accountability within the system. It is vital that lessons are learned from what has occurred here to ensure that all crews and volunteers can work safely and have confidence that they are protected while they go about the important work that they do. There now has to be robust and thorough action from you, Minister, from the Department of Transport, from the Irish Coast Guard and those involved in search and rescue operations to ensure that the measures are put in place. The crews must have confidence in their working environment and the public must have confidence in that environment. And like my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke said, we need a timeline and we need continuous reviews and updates. We so much owe it to those who have lost their lives, to those who have given their lives in service. This must never, ever, ever happen again. And we will always ask why. And we will always ask, could this have been avoided? Could it have been avoided? And people need to answer those questions. But my thoughts for this evening are with the families, who, as I say, will always be in the hearts of the people of Mayo and Eris. Thank you.
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