'I surprised myself with the reaction I had': Heroes awarded for bravery
A brave 10-year-old boy from Limerick, a dress designer for the stars, and a man who lost his life trying to save another were presented with National Bravery Awards on Friday.
Some 26 heroic civilians and gardaí were awarded for acts of bravery which included water rescues, stopping attempted abductions, and even halting attempted murders.
Among those was James Nicholl who died trying to save the life of a man unknown to him in the River Liffey in April this year.
Mr Nicholl was homeless and battling addiction at the time and was the sole recipient of a gold medal.
Over 500 medals have been presented since 1947, of which just 14 have been gold.
Presenting the award, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said: “Let the medal for James Nicholl today remind us all to look again at those sleeping rough and battling addiction and to do whatever we can to be some light for them as they travel the way back.”
Mr Nicholl's father accepted the award on his behalf.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl said the awards were an opportunity for the State to recognise and celebrate the noblest impulse in a human being, “the impulse to risk our lives in order to save someone else’s”.
“But just as importantly, what these awards also do is mark the importance of the lives that were saved and also those that were lost,” he said.
Gasps could be heard among those in attendance on hearing the details of the story of Christo Drami, who came across an “ultraviolent” attack.
Upon hearing a neighbour’s cry for help, Mr Drami left his home and saw a woman on the floor, covered in blood with her attacker leaning over her with a slash hook.
Mr Drami intervened and tackled the man, disarming him of the slash hook and incapacitating him until gardaí arrived.
The woman had sustained “extreme violence” at the hands of her then-partner, who had stabbed her multiple times.
Having broken the knife in the victim’s neck, the assailant armed himself with a slash hook and began swinging it at her before she managed to make her way to a communal landing of her apartment building in Dublin.
This is where Mr Drami came across the violent attack, with detectives involved saying there is “no doubt” his actions saved the woman’s life.
Kevin O’Sullivan, who saw a woman being swept by a strong current in the River Lee towards Parliament Bridge, was also awarded with a silver medal.
Mr O’Sullivan, who was out on his stag at the time in November 2020, climbed down to the river and began swimming towards the woman, who was screaming for help and fighting the current.
Mr O’Sullivan managed to drag her to a buoy before the two were reeled to the nearest ladder at Sullivan's Quay, where gardaí and members of the fire brigade were waiting.
Meanwhile, Eric Doran was awarded for his bravery in stopping the abduction of a woman in Dublin in January 2020, which he came upon while on his way to work.
As he approached, the assailant threw his victim to the ground and fled the scene.
Mr Doran noted the make of the vehicle and a partial registration as he went to help the woman, with the man later being arrested and imprisoned.
The woman later said: “Only God knows what would have happened if that man had not seen me”.
The youngest recipient was 10-year-old Marc O’Connor from Mountcollins in Limerick.
Just under two weeks before Christmas day last year, Marc’s mother, Mary O'Donovan, was bringing her two children to school in Boherbue in Cork.
Temperatures were as low as -7C that morning, and about five minutes outside of Boherbue, the family came to a hard corner where there was black ice.
“The car just went everywhere, all over the road swerving and I lost control of the car,” she said before adding: “I remember thinking: ‘When is this going to stop’. There was nothing I could do.”
The car skidded off the road before crashing into a ditch and carried on through a field before landing in a 10ft deep drain.
Damage to the car meant an injured Ms O’Donovan and her seven-year-old daughter Sive were trapped and due to where the car landed, nobody could have seen it from the road.
“Marc was the only one who could get out,” she said before adding: “It all fell on his shoulders. He really had to stand up that morning and my god did he. He was amazing.”
Marc, who was nine at the time, immediately took his mother’s phone and climbed over his sister, exiting the car through the broken window on her side.
Ms O’Donovan remembers being “inconsolable” and terrified that another car might hit Marc and despite calling for him to come back, he replied that he “needed to get help”.
After escaping with whiplash, Marc phoned emergency services and flagged down a driver, who then assisted the family.
An air ambulance transferred Ms O’Donovan to Cork University Hospital (CUH), while Marc, Sive, and their father followed by ambulance.
At CUH, Marc refused to go home until he saw that his mother was going to be okay. Marc has told nobody about the award, not even his friends in school.
Upon receiving news of the award, Marc asked his mother why he was getting it.
“He’s a very quiet boy, he’s very modest and he doesn’t even realise himself how brave he was,” she said. Speaking after receiving his award, Marc said: “I feel very proud of myself.”
Some 17 of the awards were for those who aided in the rescue of those in difficulty in water.
Among those were Kerry man Don O’Neil and Donal Hanley from Limerick, who were awarded after entering the water at Ballyheigue Beach to save a man in serious difficulty.
Mr O’Neil, who has designed dresses for Megan Markle and Oprah Winfrey, said he wasn’t aware of the severity of the current and was solely focused on getting to the man, who was “convinced” he was going to die.
“I surprised myself with the reaction I had because I don’t see myself as that person,” he said.
Meanwhile, just before the man’s calls for help, Donal Hanley from Limerick had just arrived at Ballyheigue Beach for his holidays.
He also acted immediately upon seeing the man in distress.
He took off his glasses, using his hearing to guide him to the man, and at one stage thought he would succumb to the water himself.
“Today made it all worth it,” he said.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
