Lough Swilly lifeboat's John McCarter hangs up his pager

The RNLI Lough Swilly Lifeboat’s operations manager, John McCarter, has retired.

After 20 years with the RNLI, Mr McCarter hung up his pager on New Year’s Day.

“Everyone at the station would like to wish John and his wife Breda all the best for the future,” a spokesperson for the Lough Swilly RNLI said.

“Over John's tenure at Lough Swilly RNLI he has seen both the good and not so good. John took everything in his stride in his own calm and friendly manner.

“He always put his fellow crew first and was a good friend and father like figure to many.”

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The spokesperson said that Mr McCarter, who lives in Buncrana, would ‘always be a member of our ‘lifeboat family’.

Among the darkest days for the Lough Swilly RNLI crew was March 20, 2016, when five members of a family drowned after the car in which they were travelling slid into the water on algae on the slipway at Buncrana pier.

Sean McGrotty, a 49-year-old from Derry, died alongside his sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), his wife’s sister Jodie-Lee (14) and her mother, Ruth Daniels (59).

The only survivor was infant Rioghnach-Ann, who was rescued from Lough Foyle by Davitt Walsh, who swam to aid the family.