DONEGAL was well represented among the 55 awardees at the National Water Safety Ireland Awards 2023 which took place in Dublin Castle on Tuesday evening.
The group had saved a total of 29 lives during the year.
There were ten people from the county including three serving gardai who were recognised for their bravery as well as those who volunteer with the registered charity established to promote water safety and reduce drownings.
Among the Donegal recipients were Garda Emmet Cassidy, Garda Noel Gavighan and Sergeant Mark Colgan who rescued a male in difficulty on a riverbank in Glenties.
Gardaí Cassidy and Gavighan tied crime scene tape onto Sergeant Colgan.
He entered the water and waded across the river.
The male was conscious and indicated that he was cold and injured.
Sergeant Colgan placed the male onto his shoulder and brought him across the water to safety.
They subsequently took him to the garda station for care until the paramedics arrived. He made a full recovery.
Donncha Maguire and Darragh Flanagan were recognised for their rescue of a swimmer in Bundoran in June of this year.
They were on the rocks at Bundoran Beach when they heard a man’s cry for help.
They immediately assessed the situation, entered the water and swam towards the scene where they noticed a person was unresponsive.
Using the cross-chest technique they successfully brought the casualty to safety, where an off-duty nurse and fireman performed CPR while the emergency services arrived.
The rescued man made a full.
Rebecca Ebbs and Zara Reid were at the shore front in Buncrana in May of this year when they were alerted to two females in distress in the water.
Both Rebecca and Zara entered the water, which was very choppy, however they both managed to swim out to the females.
On reaching the swimmers they turned them onto their backs, placed their arms under the swimmers’ arms and brought both females to safety.
Both females were taken to hospital and made a full recovery.
The Life Governor Award was presented to Seamus O’Neill in recognition of his dedication towards the humanitarian goal of saving life from drowning, having served two five-year terms on the Council of Water Safety Ireland.
Twenty year long service awards were presented to Tracey McBride and Simon McGarrigle in recognition of their dedication.
Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Thomas Byrne presented the fifty-five recipients of the ‘Seiko Just in Time Award’ and rescue appreciation awards.
“It is an honour to pay tribute to the courageous and deserving award recipients being recognised at Water Safety Ireland’s National Awards Ceremony. I want to commend the valiant efforts of these individuals who save others from drowning and to also pay tribute to the ongoing work of Water Safety Ireland volunteers who teach swimming and water rescue skills,” the minister said.
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