TWO Donegal men have been awarded National Bravery Awards at a ceremony in Leinster House earlier today.
Local men Keelan Dolan and Pat Cannon were amongst recipients who risked their own lives to aid others in peril.
Keelan Dolan was awarded a bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery after he rescued a man from a burning house on June 21, 2024.
On that day, Keelan was driving back from his grandfather’s house when he noticed smoke coming from a neighbouring house.
Immediately, Keelan jumped out of his jeep and tried to enter the house, but was beaten back by smoke and flames.
He tried again and this time got further into the house, calling the homeowner’s name as he tried to find him.
Eventually, the local lad found the man, sitting in a chair surrounded by smoke and appearing to be incapacitated.
Despite the thick black smoke and the best efforts of Kealan to persuade him, the man refused to leave the house.
With the heat and smoke worsening and finding himself becoming overcome by the smoke, he then made the decision to drag the man from the chair.
Kealan Dolan who was awarded a bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery for his actions at the National Bravery Awards 2025 with James Dolan and Eimear Burns.
Keelan pulled him physically out of the house to safety.
As they were leaving the house a flashover took hold and blew out the windows, leaving the house almost completely gutted.
Gardaí who attended noted that it was thanks to the quick actions of Kealan, on the day in question, that no fatalities occurred.
The occupant of the house was brought by ambulance to hospital to be treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
Meanwhile, Pat Cannon was awarded a silver medal and a Certificate of Bravery for rescuing his crewmate from the sea off the Mayo coast in 1988.
On a cold October night in 1988, the crew of the MV Rosses Morn were fishing some miles off the Mayo coast, near the Stags rocks.
They noticed the wind change and increase in speed and decided to head for shelter.
As they were hauling in the nets, a bobbin snapped and struck a crew member, Flor Nolan, on the back of the head, knocking him across the boat and into the rough sea.
Despite not being able to swim, the skipper, Pat Cannon, who was steering the boat, realised that his shipmate would be lost if he did not act.
Grabbing a rope, he jumped into the dark sea and grabbed hold of Flor.
Pat Cannon was awarded a silver medal and a certificate of Bravery at the National Bravery Awards 2025.
As they were both wearing oilskins and boots, they were being dragged under by the weight and the growing swell.
The other two crew members on board hauled the men towards the boat and somehow managed to get Flor back on board.
However, they could not get Pat out of the water, and he lost his grip on the rope.
Struggling against the rough seas and weighed down by his boots and boiler suit, Pat managed to wrap the chain of the trawl door around his arm and hold on.
The wind and waves pushed him under several times as he was dragged along the stern and the motion of the boat meant it was impossible to pull him out.
Eventually, the boat took a roll, and Pat came up long enough that the crew could grab his feet and pull him aboard.
He was blue with the cold and some of the crew thought he was dead.
The crewman he had rescued, Flor Nolan, noted that Pat Cannon could not swim when he jumped into the sea to save him.
In the same statement he wrote that he owes his life to Pat Cannon.
Speaking to guests at today’s ceremony, Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy TD said:
“We don’t all find ourselves standing with someone in the water, or holding onto them on a cliff edge, as some of our recipients have done.
“But every day we each have a chance to make a difference, by listening, supporting or just being there for someone when they need us.
“It is also a significant day for all those who will see, or hear, or read about these brave deeds and feel better to know there are still good things being done, by good people.
“To all of our award recipients, on behalf of the people of Ireland let me thank you again for your actions, for your selflessness and for your courage.
“What you have done has made the world feel a little less dark, a little less dangerous and gives hope to us all for the road ahead.”
