Buried treasure . . . Antoinette's 'miracle' search uncovers lost engagement ring
A relieved Antoinette Fitzgerald shows off her newly recovered ring on Salthill Beach, Galway
A WOMAN who lost her engagement ring at a beach found it two days later after she borrowed a metal detector to hunt for it.
Antoinette Fitzgerald reckoned she had little more than a million-to-one chance of finding the ring at the beach in Salthill, Co Galway.
She and her husband Eamonn had spent hours searching over the previous two days and had all but given up hope.
The ring was of great sentimental value as it had been made by her uncle, David Courtney, who had worked at Claddagh Jewellers in Galway.
Antoinette had gone to the beach in Salthill with her three youngest children -- Oisin (7), Orlaith (5) and Aoibhe (3) -- and had put the ring in the pocket of her jeans when they went swimming.
"It was only when we got home I realised the ring was lost. I was sickened. We went back to the beach but couldn't find it; we went back the following day but still had no luck.
"It was then somebody suggested we should put a few messages up online and I was amazed by the response we got from people all over the place trying to help," said Antoinette, who lives a couple of kilometres from the beach, at Currach Bui in Rahoon, Co Galway.
She got a huge response to an appeal she put on www.boards.ie, with people making suggestions and enlisting further help.
One man, John Lally from Knocknacarra in Galway, said he would give her the loan of a metal detector, while others advised her on tidal movements and the best way to find items buried in sand.
"I couldn't believe how helpful people were. I had never met John Lally but he went and collected the metal detector from a friend and even went and got new batteries. He and everyone else was so helpful," said Antoinette.
Luck
She had never used a metal detector before but she headed off with her husband, who works as a manager with Dunnes Stores, and they began their exhaustive search on the beach.
"We were searching for about an hour-and-a-quarter and, aside from finding bottle tops and all sorts of things, we had no luck, but then we found a trolley-key which I knew was mine and we realised we were close.
"Next we found an earring that had also been in the pocket and before long the thing was beeping again and there was my ring.
"I just couldn't believe it. I think it's a miracle," she said.
- John Fallon
Irish Independent
