The wife of a Kildare man who drowned as he tried to save their daughter’s life in Australia has shared heart-breaking tributes to her husband.
Paul Doran, 45, of the well-known Pat Doran Construction family in Kildare died when he heroically rescued his 11-year-old girl. The drowning tragedy occurred last Wednesday evening at Seven Mile Beach on Lennox Head, over 700kms north of Sydney, in the Coral Sea of the Gold Coast in the state of New South Wales.
Friends revealed that the family had only moved to Australia in recent months and that Paul’s mother Helen and father Paddy are broken-hearted. One said: “There are no words to lessen the pain, nothing that can be said to reduce the heartbreak the Doran family is feeling.
“It is cruel for his wife Simonne and their three children, dreadful for Helen and Paddy, and for Paul’s siblings Aoife, Emma, Sarah and Gavin and their extended families.” The Irish Mirror reported yesterday how Paul was swimming in shallow water with three children when his daughter was swept out to sea on a bodyboard.
Both he and his wife rushed into the waves and swam out to rescue her, but only Simonne and their daughter managed to get safely back to shore. It took off-duty lifeguards 30 minutes to find Paul’s body and, despite paramedics’ CPR efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Simonne has posted happy family photos online of herself with Paul and their three children and shared memories of their time together. One friend responded and said: “It is beyond sad to hear of Paul’s passing. He was such a wonderful soul.”
Friends of the Kildare family, including Naas mayor Cllr Evie Sammon, said Paul was “loved and very well respected” in Ballymore Eustace and Naas. She said: “I’d like to send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family.
“He was loved and very well respected locally and the community is very saddened by his tragic death. Our thoughts are with Paul’s parents Paddy and Helen, his wife Simonne, his children and extended family.”
Read more: Irish dad dies trying to save 11-year-old daughter from drowning in beach tragedy
Paul, from Tipperkevin in Ballymore Eustace, and Simonne and their young family lived locally and worked with the family business Pat Doran Construction, before they relocated to Australia.
Paul’s colleague Jeff Colley shared an emotional tribute and revealed his friend was the brains behind the plan for 600 new homes in the country’s largest social and affordable scheme at Shankill in Co Dublin. Jeff said: “Paul was one of the best and most forward-thinking builders I’ve ever encountered, a modest man who had a big impact.
“He had recently moved to Australia and was caught in a riptide trying to save his daughter, who mercifully survived. My heart breaks for his wife Simonne. Paul, Pat and Simonne worked together to deliver some extraordinary buildings.
“Without him, the likes of the 600 unit Shanganagh project – Ireland’s largest passive house project – wouldn’t be happening.
“It was a pleasure to have known Paul. May he rest in peace.”
Lifeguard Scott McCartney and local man Stuart O’Dea spoke of their horror from the scene on Wednesday. Scott revealed that the emergency occurred after lifeguards finished their patrol shift for the day – but some were still on site and responded to the alert.
They were alerted to “a man in distress” around 6.30pm after the girl was swept away in a “perfect storm” of “unforgiving” conditions. He said: “I’ve heard the father pushed the girl back to shore and became stuck himself.
“It just looks like he ran out of energy and unfortunately drowned. It’s heartbreaking for everyone. For the direct family involved, you have no words.
“Lifeguards had just finished having a shower and a member alerted them to the incident.
“They brought boards, tubes, drones and rescue equipment and ran down to the beach. They saw a man floating in the water. When they got to the patient, the man was unconscious. They retrieved him back to shore.
“Paramedics were on the scene so they handed the patient over to them.” Lennox Head resident Stuart, who was at the beach with his daughter and grandson Callum, described it as “a true tragedy”.
He said: “It was awful, it’s so sad. We heard the story this morning about a 45-year-old dad rescuing his daughter.
“It was a feeling of just sadness. It’s a dangerous beach.
"It’s hazardous. It’s just horrible.”
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