There are calls for the man who saved a baby from a sinking car in Buncrana to be nominated for a special Presidential Award.

Davitt Walsh dove into the Donegal harbour on Sunday night, rescuing the four-month-old girl who was passed to him through a broken window.

Mr Walsh said the infant's father, Sean McGrotty (46) passed the baby through the smashed driver's side window just moments before the vehicle sank.

Mr McGrotty died in the car alongside his two sons Mark (12) and Evan (8), his mother-in-law Ruth Daniels (57) and her daughter Jodie Lee Daniels (14).

The baby girl, Rionaghac-Ann, was the only survivor. Her mother Louise McGrotty was away for a hen weekend when the accident occurred.

"The father looked at me and he had to make a decision," Mr Walsh told RTÉ.

"He could have saved himself because he was out of the car, but he went back into his family and I couldn't do nothing else".

"The car went down instantly and the whole lot of them went down - it was just so fast. I took the baby back to the shore".

He added: "I think the father knew that I was only going to be able to save one person".

"He said to me, the last thing he said, he handed her to me and he said 'save the baby'...and he went back in and he stayed with his family and the car just disappeared".

An online campaign on Facebook is hoping to get Mr Walsh nominated.

Currently, Presidential Distinguished Service Awards are given out to those who contribute to Ireland and to Irish communities abroad.