Post-mortems on the bodies of a mother and her three-year-old daughter has found they died from drowning after their jeep was caught in a flash flood as they crossed a ford near their home outside Bantry in west Cork on Thursday.
Mrs Orla O'Driscoll (33) was on her way to her home at Milleens, Derryduff, Coomhola, with her daughter Muire after collecting her six-year-old son, Fionn, from the Gaelscoil in Bantry when her jeep overturned at around 1.45 p.m.
Mrs O'Driscoll managed to get Fionn out of the jeep and to the river bank but was unable to get Muire to safety.
Fionn walked over a half-mile back to the main road and raised the alarm when he met local woman Ms Vickey Flynn, her sister, Claire, and father, Neil.
Yesterday, locals spoke of how the mountain streams flowing into the Borlin and Coomhola rivers can quickly produce flash floods and they suggested the O'Driscolls recent arrival in the area may have meant they were unaware how dangerous the streams can be.
An ESB spokesman confirmed that there is a mini-hydro station at Lough Curramore several miles upstream of where the tragedy happened, but said that there are no sluices on the dam wall and during times of high flow, the water simply spills over the wall naturally.
The dam wall was still intact yesterday and the ESB is satisfied it did not contribute to any sudden release of water and, consequently, had no bearing on the accident, said a spokesman.
Mr Neil Flynn spoke yesterday about how people in the area were devastated. "It was a big, big flood - people don't realise the danger of the water, it rises so fast. These people were new to the area and probably didn't realise that it could come down so fast there.
"Normally the water is just a trickle there but the mountains are so high and with all the rain, the water comes down fast like a flash flood. Most people know about the water and the river rises so fast, but you wouldn't expect something like that to happen."
Mrs O'Driscoll, a native of Bishopstown in Cork city, had only moved with her family into the farmhouse in Milleens in May, having lived for six years in Bantry town. Yesterday a cuddly toy dog and some flowers were placed at a bridge near where Muire's body was found, while farther downstream, a bouquet of flowers was placed near where Mrs O'Driscoll's body was recovered.
Local shopkeeper Mr Teddy O'Brien said the O'Driscolls had moved to the area because they wanted Fionn and Muire to have a rural upbringing. "They are a lovely family. Orla was a beautiful person. They really settled in well and were well liked in the community. It's very sad, very sad indeed. We're still all in shock over it."
Bantry Gaelscoil principal Mr Seán Ó Briain also extended his sympathies and those of the school to Finbarr O'Driscoll and Fionn on their tragic loss.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the O'Driscoll family at this time," he said.
