By Tara McCormack
LAST weekend Amay Conneely represented Ireland at the prestigious Women in SAR 2024 training course, held on Bagaskär Island, Finland.
The trailblazer from Killybegs, made history last July becoming the first-ever lady coxswain with the Killybegs Coast Guard Unit.
Flying the flag for the Irish Coast Guard, Amay attended the event which brought together fifteen exceptional women from around the world.
This included participants from Australia, New Zealand, Estonia, and The Netherlands.
The training course was rigorous, combining classroom discussions with practical exercises on Finnish SAR training vessels.
Amay, pictured below, reflecting on her journey to becoming a coxswain, told the Donegal News: “I always doubted myself. I never felt like I was going to be a coxswain. I never felt like I was good enough or I wouldn’t have authority or leadership.”
She emphasised how the support from her unit played a crucial role in her success, saying: “I was lucky in my unit, the boys, the coxswains themselves, pushed me and believed in me and knew that I had what it took to become a coxswain.”
During the course in Finland, Amay had the opportunity to deliver a presentation and share her experience from her time with the Killybegs Coast Guard Unit.
She also took the time to discuss her personal journey, concluding with a powerful message: “I discussed my journey and at the end of it I said, a quote that I like to live by, ‘we rise by lifting others.’”
The event was not just about individual growth but also about the collective empowerment of women in search and rescue (SAR) roles.
Amay noted the importance of women supporting one another, acknowledging that self-doubt is something many women face.
“Some girls say that they were told to sit in the back and stay quiet and felt like they had to speak up when they had to earn the trust and respect of the male coxswains.
“They had to show them that they could do it and they did have what it takes. I was very lucky that I didn’t feel that,” she shared.
One of the highlights of Amay’s future aspirations is her hope to lead a full female crew on the Killybegs Coast Guard boat.
“Hopefully, maybe in October, we’ll have a full female crew on the boat. With me as the coxswain. We now have a female deputy coxswain and we’ll have two crew members who are women. That will be a major event for the Killybegs Coast Guard to have a boat full of women.”
However, Amay is clear about the value of diversity in the Coast Guard.
“I’m not saying we can do everything without men. We can’t. I do believe that having both men and women in a coast guard unit or any organisation is the way forward.”
The Women in SAR course also fostered a spirit of resilience and determination among its participants.
She shared a powerful moment from the training, where the women were given t-shirts bearing the quote: “They whispered to her, you can’t withstand the storm, and she whispered back, I am the storm.”
This resonated deeply with Amay and her fellow participants, as they were encouraged to “be the storm” and to challenge the status quo.
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