Fundraising underway for defibrillator at beach where County Derry native lost her life

The family and friends of Buncrana woman Sinéad McLaughlin who passed away last year are raising funds to locate a defibrillator at the beach where she suddenly took ill.

Sinéad, a native of Park village in County Derry, passed last September after becoming ill while swimming at Ludden beach outside Buncrana.

The mother of one passed away after being airlifted to Letterkenny University Hospital and despite the efforts of emergency services that attended the scene.

A keen swimmer, she was a member of the Swilly Seals and had been active in trying to improve facilities for swimmers at the beach. Her family, friends and members of the Swilly Seals are now raising funds to locate a solar-powered defibrillator at the beach.

Organisers also aim to donate funds to the Lough Swilly RNLI and the Buncrana First Responders.

Sinéad attended school at Thornhill College in Derry city before studying at Portobello College in Dublin. She worked in Dublin for a short while but returned home and met her husband Martin shortly after in 2003. The couple married in 2013 and welcomed their daughter Amy in 2015. Sinéad is also survived by her parents Johnny and Annie Monteith and her siblings Sharon, Yvonne and John.

As well as being a keen swimmer, Sinéad loved music and was a member of the Inishowen Choir of Ages.

Breid Colhoun, a friend of Sinéad’s from the Swilly Seals, said she was the life of the group.

“We just wanted to do something in her memory. She would love this - everybody coming together to raise money for a defibrillator, “ she said.

There has been a great response to the fundraising campaign in the community due to how well-loved Sinead was.

“The donations are really starting to come in now. There are people baking baking for us, people donating prizes, buying tickets.”

Tickets for a raffle for the fundraising will be on sale at a coffee morning which is taking place at O’Flaherty’s Bar in Buncrana on Friday, February 2.

Tickets for the raffle are also for sale at Applegreen, Buncrana, Fringe Hair Salon, Buncrana, and Bradley’s shop in Fahan.