Rescuers celebrated at water safety awards for saving 11 lives

RESCUERS in nine dramatic, near-death, water accidents were honoured at an awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday.

Eleven lives were saved by the quick thinking and brave actions of 13 men and one woman who put their own lives at risk to rescue those in difficulty in water incidents all across the country.

Service awards were also presented to 77 Irish Water Safety volunteers, in recognition of the their total 1,510 years of personal service around the country in teaching swimming, rescue and water survival skills.

This week also marks the one-year anniversary of one of the most daring rescues honoured at the awards.

AJ McCullough, aged 21, rescued a mother and three children from a car after it flipped over and entered an icy canal in Oldbridge, Drogheda, during the cold snap last year.

After seeing the car enter the water, AJ jumped out of his own car and managed to climb on top of the partially submerged car in the canal.

After rescuing the first two children one by one, he then had to wind down the driver’s seat to rescue the third child and mother through the back door. All four were taken to hospital and made a full recovery.

AJ adds yesterday’s award to his REHAB 2011 People of the Year Award received earlier this year.

Speaking at the awards, Environment Minister Phil Hogan said although 2010 was the lowest year in almost 60 years for drowning’s, at 112, people had to guard against complacency.

“It only takes seconds for tragedy to strike and this can so easily be avoided if people take responsibility for their own safety by learning about the hazards. I ask that people encourage friends and family to read Irish Water Safety’s guidelines at www.iws.ie so that they don’t become a drowning statistics.”

Award winners

* Pat Ward and Dean Ward from Donegal rescued a man in distress in the water off Creevy Pier in Ballyshannon.

* Garda Jonathan Gallagher from Louth plunged into the River Boyne in Drogheda after he observed a man face down in the water.

* Garda Sean Sharkey, Darren Dwyer and Garda Tom McKenna from Cavan rescued a man from Lough Ramor in Virginia.

* Richard Young and Tony Mills from Sligo pulled a man from the water and onto their yacht in Sligo Harbour after they saw him in distress.

* Bernard Cahill and Donough Cronin from Clare rescued an 8-year-old boy and his father who had got into difficulty at Spanish Point.

* Patrick O’Mahony from Cork went to the assistance of a couple he observed in distress in the water at ‘Mall Dock’ Youghal beach.

* Garda Michael Baugh from Meath went to the assistance of a man who had fallen from the Boyne Cable Bridge into the River Boyne.

* Kevin Buckley and Issac Wheelock from Wexford rescued a woman from the river at Old Bridge in Enniscorthy.

* Garda Andrea Doyle from Kilkenny rescued a woman in difficulty at Greensbridge in the River Nore.

* AJ McCullough from Meath rescued a mother and her three children from their car after it entered the Boyne canal.