Award for siblings who held back flood

Three brothers from Co Clare have been presented with Garda Youth Awards after they gallantly defended their home and neighbours’ properties from last winter’s flooding.

Luke Kinsella, 17, and his twin brothers Jake and Philip, 16, kept the flood at bay despite the tide rising two feet around their home. They managed to protect it with a cordon of 600 sandbags.

They also raced to help secure neighbours’ houses in Springfield, 1.5km from the River Shannon, after the ESB was forced to release increased volumes of water when levels in the Parteen basin rose quickly.