Wicklow woman who drowned on Saturday was trying to save her family pet

"The alarm was raised at 2pm on Saturday after Ms Herbst got into difficulty, having entered the sea at Magherabeg Beach while attempting to save her family dog from the choppy waters. Greystones and Wicklow Coast Guard units were tasked to the scene, along with the Dublin-based Coast Guard helicopter R116. A body was recovered from the water at around 4pm and a second person was also rescued from the water and taken to hospital."

"The well-known local figure was in her 80s and had 10 grandchildren from her own five children, Marco, Siobhan, Fiona, Juliet and Orson. Her husband Michael operates Kilpoole Hill Farm, on the outskirts of Wicklow town, starting with sheep in the 1960s, before expanding and moving on to cattle and tillage, after purchasing more land. He started making potato diggers and invented a turf cutting machine that sold worldwide, and which proved especially useful in wet land countries like Indonesia."

"Michael established Polo Wicklow in 1993, with the dream of having a location in Ireland whereby you could play polo for 12 months of the year. Polo Wicklow became Ireland's only all-year round polo facility, and is managed by his and Wendy's daughter, Siobhan Herbst, while Wendy worked away in the background. Polo Wicklow celebrated their 30th anniversary in May of 2023 with a full weekend of events, including a black-tie ball and a polo clash between Ireland and the USA."

An elderly local woman entered the sea at Magherabeg Beach attempting to save her family dog and got into difficulty. The alarm was raised at 2pm and Greystones and Wicklow Coast Guard units and the Dublin-based Coast Guard helicopter R116 were tasked to the scene. A body was recovered around 4pm and a second person was rescued and taken to hospital. The woman was in her 80s and had five children and ten grandchildren. Her husband Michael operates Kilpoole Hill Farm and developed agricultural machinery and software. The family established Polo Wicklow, Ireland's only year-round polo facility, and organised local fundraisers including a 5k sea swim for the RNLI.

Read at Irish Independent