114 people drowned in Irish waters last year

Almost a third of the 114 people who drowned in 2014 did so while taking their own lives, according to figures compiled by Irish Water Safety.

The 2014 total was 23 more than the previous year, prompting IWS to reiterate the need for uninterrupted child supervision. The group appealed to the public to make sure they had adequate expertise before taking part in aquatic activities.

Of the 114 total, 55 were accidents, 33 were suicides, and 25 had an undetermined cause. There was one homicide.

The majority of the drownings (90) were male compared to 24 females. Of the 90 males, 50% were accidents, 23.5% were suicides, and 23.5% undetermined.

The figures show there were six children aged 14 and under among the victims. Furthermore six teenagers drowned, three accidentally and three through suicide.

Dublin had the highest number of drownings (16), followed by Cork and Limerick (13 each), and Galway (12).

The 2014 total for drownings is well below the highest figure recorded in any one year — 235 in 1983. However, it is significantly more than the lowest — 73 in 1936.

IWS pointed out it only takes seconds for a drowning tragedy to strike. It said it can easily be avoided if people take responsibility for their own safety and take a precautions in advance of any aquatic activity. Among those precautions are:

• Teach schoolchildren how to stay safe for summer;
• Take training with a recognised provider, which can be found on www.safetyzone.ie;
• Swim at lifeguarded waterways, listed on www.iws.ie
• If there is none nearby, swim at a recognised, traditional bathing area;
• Swim within your depth;
• Never use inflatable toys at beaches, rivers, or lakes;
• Make sure the edges are shallow shelving so you can safely and easily enter and exit;
• Wear a lifejacket.