TWO HERO ex-army members from Wexford were responsible for stopping a suicide attempt on Sunday.

Edward P. Doyle (64) and Thomas Walshe, in his forties, were travelling back to their homes in Piercestown and Adamstown after enjoying a weekend in Cork when they spotted a man in his early twenties standing over a bridge.

The men, who are members of the International United Nations Veterans Association, realised that the young man was about to jump into the icy waters of the River Lee before they decided to take drastic action.

Mr. Walsh, an ex-Army Ranger grabbed the man by the neck of his t-shirt and trousers, while his friend Mr. Doyle, an ex-Navy Ranger and Diver then ran to assist him in pulling him away from the edge.

Mr. Doyle, who is also qualified in providing First Aid, said that the men’s experience in the army helped them in keeping their cool during the dramatic episode:

“He was in a very distressed state; he had fought with his family and was very distraught about it, he kept saying things like ‘nobody wants me’ and ‘nobody cares about me’. We spent a lot of time with him calming him down before we rang the Gardaí”

He said that a kind passer-by, Carmen Clarke, made the emergency phone call, but 20 minutes passed and there was no sign of Gardaí so he decided to call again.

A further half hour passed and Gardaí had still failed to attend the scene, which made the two men extremely frustrated: “I was disgusted to be honest,” Mr. Doyle said.

“We were very angry and disappointed in the length of time it took for them to come out. Maybe they were busy and maybe I should have rung the Fire Brigade or Ambulance but I didn’t think I needed to.”

He added: “I’m not badmouthing the Gardaí because maybe they were very busy at the time but we told them this was a suicide attempt. You’d hate to have a relative who found themselves in this situation and they had to wait that amount of time.”

They both stayed by the man’s side, speaking with him and talking him around before he told them he was going to visit his sister’s house. The men made him promise that he would not attempt to harm himself again before deciding to watch him walk out of their sight away from the bridge for over ten minutes.

Mr. Doyle said that the young man shook their hands and thanked them for their actions by the end of their time together.

It was only when they were driving away from the area, about 100 yards away, when they finally spotted Gardai travelling to the bridge.

Mr. Doyle said he and Mr. Walshe didn’t “do anything special” and that they acted just like anyone else would have in their situation.

However, he did admit that the young man would have been in capable hands had he made the decision to jump into the water considering his previous experience in diving.

“It was just a great relief when we pulled him to safety and I really would love to know if the young chap is okay now. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time – what we did came naturally to us.”

For full story, see this week’s Echo.