The family of a 13-year-old girl whose life was saved by former international rugby star Peter Clohessy are hoping to meet the retired rugby prop in the coming days to thank him personally.
Aoife Fanning, from Deerpark, Pallasgreen, Co Limerick, suffered a fracture to her skull when she fell from her pony while out with the Scarteen Hunt in Co Tipperary on New Year's Day.
Members of the hunt who rushed to her aid found her unconscious and not breathing, with her mouth locked.
Quick-thinking Clohessy, who was also with the hunt, managed to get her mouth open, saving the teenager's life according to her mother, Ann.
"He realised straight away that she had swallowed her tongue. He managed to get her mouth open and got her tongue out of her throat. He was brilliant and saved her life on the day," recalled Ann Fanning.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at Oneprogramme yesterday, Aoife's uncle, Mick Gleeson, also praised the efforts of the Limerick-born former rugby international.
"Peter was the one who recognised the seriousness of the situation and the possibility that Aoife had swallowed her tongue from the bang on her head when she hit the ground," he said. "They had trouble opening her mouth. . . In conjunction with Peter and the 999 emergency operator they managed to get things moving and get Aoife recovered," he added.
Aoife, who was treated at Cork University Hospital, has since returned home, and is hoping to thank Peter Clohessy personally in the coming days. "I would like to thank everybody and especially Peter Clohessy who saved me and I hope to meet with him personally in the next few days with my family," said the 13-year-old.
Speaking recently at his Limerick city centre rugby pub, Clohessy said he was delighted that the teenager had recovered from her ordeal.
"Her mouth was locked and I suspected she had swallowed her tongue. I had never seen this happen in my rugby days, but had heard about it happening to players," he said.