Dr. Fidelma Healy Eames, PhD, Study and Careers, is delighted to announce the news that twenty year old Ellen Glynn, one of the young paddleboarders who survived a fifteen hour ordeal lost at sea in Galway bay as a 17 year old, is our next exciting guest in the #InspiringIreland, #InspiringStudents’ series.

Register your classes today with West Cork, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny Education Support centres to hear Ellen’s amazing story of survival, resilience and personal growth on Tues, Jan 30^th at 10am!

And what a story of inspiration, motivation and courage she has to share with our teachers, children and young people!

Meet our next Inspiring Students’ guest, paddleboarder Ellen Glynn

A little bit of background about Ellen  . . .

Ellen was just 17 years old when she and her cousin Sara Feeney (23) went paddleboarding in Galway bay on a beautiful balmy evening in August 2020. Suddenly and unexpectedly, a freak wind change carried them out to sea some 33km from the coastline.  Despite several searches being alerted they remained lost at sea for fifteen hours, suffering hypothermia and exhaustion, resulting from a relentless overnight rain, wind and lightning storm.

Tune in to hear their strategies for survival, how they stayed together, kept up hope and were ultimately rescued by local fishermen.

Today more than three years on Ellen is a 2^nd year Commerce student studying in the University of Galway.

We look forward to hearing how this traumatic event has changed Ellen’s perspective on life, how she dealt with the various stages of shock in the aftermath, the impact on her family and friends, and her hopes for the future.

Not to be missed!

Join us on Tuesday, Jan 30^th at 10am for an unforgettable half hour.