Friends of a medical student who left a beach bonfire to go to a pub for vodka told an inquest yesterday of their failed attempt to stop him sprinting into the darkened sand dunes.
They also told of successfully contacting Joseph Browne (19), Crusheen, Co Clare, on his mobile phone and telling him to leave the light on and wave the phone in the air so they could locate him.
The body of Mr Browne, a first-year medical student at NUI Galway, was discovered the following day by Garda divers in Keel Lake, about 300 metres from the shoreline on Keel Beach, Achill Island, Co Mayo.
A drinking glass and a phone were initially found in about three to four feet of water.
The tragedy occurred on the evening of February 17th, 2005, after Mr Browne and about 40 fellow students from NUIG went to stay for the weekend at holiday cottages in Keel.
On Friday, Mr Browne played rugby and soccer before starting to drink at about 5pm. At about 8pm he arrived at a beach bonfire with a bottle of vodka. Later he wanted to go back to the pub as his bottle was finished.
Laura Flood (18), Corlurgan, Cavan, a friend, said that along with fellow members of the group, she tried to restrain him but he "pushed us off again".
He sprinted off in the direction of the cottages through the dunes.
Kapil Shermer (20), Ennis, Co. Clare, said he spoke on the mobile phone to Joseph while he was in the dunes and asked him where he was, but he just mumbled an incoherent answer.
He said he was walking on grass and had encountered a pole and hit his face.
Mr Shermer continued: "From my conversation with Joe, he was stubborn drunk. He was not normally this way. He wasn't upset or aggressive. He was just drunk."
Medical evidence was given to the inquest that Mr Browne, who was described by Garda Supt Pat Doyle as "a very talented young man" whose ambition in life was to better the lives of others through medicine, his chosen career, died from asphyxia due to drowning.
The coroner for south Mayo, John O'Dwyer, said the full story of how Mr Browne got into the water was not known and accordingly he returned an open verdict.