Former Galway footballer Finian Hanley has revealed how he helped Gardaí save a man from potentially drowning on St Patrick's Day.

Hanley had been walking his wife Pauline and daughter Freya at the Spanish Arch, where The River Corrib meets the sea, when he noticed the incident at around 4.30pm and ran to help the two Gardaí whom were rescuing the man whom had fallen into the water.

"We saw the two Gardaí running towards the water. It looked quite frantic so I ran to help," Hanley told The Connacht Tribune. "The water was pretty high and rough and they were stuck against the wall. It was difficult enough to hold on, so we needed to get them out quickly.

"We just kind of yanked them out. They were probably in the water for five minutes. He (the garda) was brave, that's for sure. They don't have an easy job."

Neither the garda nor the man who fell in were seriously injured but both were treated for cold and shock afterwards.

A three-time Connacht SFC winner, Hanley announced his retirement from inter-county football in December. 

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