Dublin Fire Brigade said the two men rescued from the Liffey yesterday evening were known to one another and the second man had probably entered the water around the time the first man was being pulled out.
A large crowd gathered at O'Connell Bridge and Eden Quay to view the drama which started at about 6.40 p.m. when a man entered the water just west of the bridge.
The fire brigade arrived within minutes. As officers Brendan Neville of the Phibsboro' Fire Brigade and Jim O'Toole of Tara Street took the first man from the water the crowd of several hundred people broke into spontaneous applause.
Gardai were trying to disperse the crowd when it was discovered that another man was in the water. Officers O'Toole and Neville again entered the water and rescued the second man. Both were taken to the Mater Hospital. Mr Mick Garry, station officer at Tara Street Fire Station, said the men were known to one another and had spent the day in the city.
