In 1936, villagers in Ballycotton watched their lifeboat save the crew of the lightship Cornet
Watching giant waves crash over a harbour wall during a February storm is a reminder of the best human qualities. Imagine launching a boat into such seas to rescue the crew of a stricken ship.
When the villagers of Ballycotton in County Cork watched their lifeboat, Mary Stanford, do just that in hurricane-force winds 85 years ago to try to reach the crew of a drifting lightship at the aptly named Daunt Rock, they turned and walked to the church to pray for their survival.