Online campaign launched to nominate Buncrana hero for a Presidential award

Interview with Davitt Walsh, who saved baby Rionaghac-Ann in yesterday’s tragedy in Buncrana https://t.co/a228dN4yDu

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 21, 2016

Walsh swam back to the shore with baby Rioghnac-Ann, who was the only survivor.

“The water started coming in, He just looked at me and said, he just said: ‘Save my baby’. And then I took the baby, I held it above my head and I swam back to shore. And that’s what happened,” Mr. Walsh told RTÉ.

Frank McGrotty: "I want to thank the man who saved her [baby Rionaghac-Ann], you’re a hero in this family's eyes" https://t.co/JL3qhQMQrv

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 21, 2016

Walsh has since met with Louise Daniels the baby's mother, who lost five members of her family in the tragic accident - her partner, Mr McGrotty, their two sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), Louise's mother Ruth Daniels (57) and her sister Jodie Lee Daniels (14). Their funeral is to be held today.

A post by Alice Diver on Facebook calling for Walsh to be recognised for his bravery is gaining traction - it's been shared almost 17,000 times with 44,000 likes.

And people have been leaving hundreds of messages of support:

"This man deserves the world an more!! Such a brave kind hearted person who put his own life on the line to save that little baby."

"You should be proud of what you done and how you have given that devastated mother a reason to go on. Thank God it was you walking close by, a real life guardian angel. And your girlfriend too deserves praise for her love and affection for that baby girl. God bless you both."

"There's no one in this country that deserves it more than him!. His courage and bravery saved not just a small child's life but gave a mother a reason to carry on in life."

“I couldn’t do nothing else, the car went down instantly, the whole lot went down, and then it was just so fast and I just took the baby infant back into shore. My girlfriend was waiting at the shore, she took the baby infant off me,” Walsh said.

“I was exhausted on the pier, I just lay there in the algae.”

“I just feel really, really terrible that I couldn’t do any more for the family. It’s just an awful, awful tragedy.”