Letters to the Editor: Ireland needs a dedicated body to police water safety
'We owe it to those we have lost to bring about change, not just at leadership level, but also in the cultural mindset throughout all sports across Ireland.' File picture: John Hennessy
In light of the recent tragic incident during the Youghal Ironman event, I want to bring your attention to the pressing need for a regulatory body in Ireland that oversees safety within water-related activities, including open water swimming, kayaking etc.
I have been involved in the lifeguarding and swim teaching industry withĀ Irish Water Safety since the age of 16. I have four years of experience at the University of Limerickās 50m swimming pool, as well as several years at Tralee Aquadome and Leisureland in Galway.
I have taught swimming in various locations across Ireland and in Canada. I hold a Level 2 swimming certificate from Irish Water Safety and possess an honours degree in outdoor education from ATU.
As a professional in this field, I have repeatedly voiced my safety concerns within the outdoor recreation and water safety industries over the years, but it seems they have not been taken seriously.
The guidelines provided by Irish Water Safety and other water-related organisations, such as Canoeing Ireland, lack a dedicated regulatory body to ensure safety standards are upheld nationwide.
While I have approached Irish Water Safety on this matter, they explained their safety guidelines place the responsibility on individual organisations or organisers to ensure safety standards are met.
These guidelines are merely recommendations and are not subject to regulation or regular inspection.
Considering incidents such as the one in Youghal and the unfortunate loss of Aisling OāConnor in 2019 at UL, itās clear there is a need for stronger safety measures in our waters. As someone who had a close call while kayaking in 2014, when my foot got trapped between rocks during a whitewater kayaking trip in Slovenia, I am advocating for stricter safety standards across all these sectors ... and a dedicated regulatory body to conduct thorough safety inspections nationwide.
I fear that without proper preventative measures, more lives will be lost in the future.
We must also take personal responsibility and prioritise safety over competition. I strongly urge individuals to trust their instincts and refrain from participating if conditions arenāt right or they are not adequately prepared.
I had to leave the outdoor industry, my job for so many years, and go back to university again. I very nearly lost my life if it werenāt for the experience of the people on that trip with me.Ā
They saved my life and I owe them a debt of gratitude. It was me who chose to follow the crowd even though I was absolutely exhausted as we were nearing the end of a 10 day camping and kayaking trip.
I was in my early 20s and was very naive about the effects of burnout and what exhaustion or rough weather can do to the body.
From my own personal experience, I would implore people not to be swayed by group mentality when safety is at stake, both for themselves and those around them, including emergency services. Trust your gut and listen to yourself, not others around you. Even the organisers.
We owe it to those we have lost to bring about change, not just at leadership level, but also in the cultural mindset throughout all sports across Ireland.
In response to your recent article concerning road deaths, stating that the Government is to meet with the RSA and gardaĆ to address the spike in road fatalities, I have a simple observation: there is minimal enforcement of our existing laws and rules of the road.
I personally have not seen a garda checkpoint since covid. Static speed cameras are no replacement for active garda presence and observation. Breathalyser testing is rare rather than random.
I understand garda numbers are inadequate so it is no surprise that laws are flaunted, sadly often with tragic consequences. More meetings will achieve little unless the core problem of law enforcement is addressed.
Speed is responsible for road deaths and unless it is addressed immediately by the Government itās going to continue. The sign āSpeed Killsā needs to be erected on all roads regardless and gardaĆ need to have a presence in all areas and that would help prevent many accidents. Please slow down.
All vehicles on the road should have dashcams front and back, it should be compulsory, I drive a HGV and every day there are some drivers doing crazy manoeuvres. If they knew all other vehicles had dashcams, it might lead to them driving more carefully on the road.
With children returning to schools, itās sad that many in rural areas will commute in vehicles.
While some people may view this as a further sign of mollycoddling our youth, the reality is that sending children off to school by foot or by push-bike could be seen as gross negligence considering the dangers on the roads.
If State authorities were truly keen on going green, priority would be given to the construction of footpaths and cycle lanes connecting vast swathes of the country, together with extensive, reliable public transport.
Merely moving from diesel/petrol-powered vehicles to electric wonāt change the state of affairs.
I believe many people would take alternative, greener forms of transport if the proper infrastructure was in place ā running a private car is, after all, costly.
Alas, in Ireland, we donāt really have a Department of Transport, we have a Department of Cars.
Although we have yet to receive the report of the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy, we are now going to provide weapons training for Ukrainian soldiers. This is clearly not ānon-lethalā or humanitarian aid.
Why did we have this forum if the government has already made its mind up?
I returned to my home city (Cork) having spent more than 30 years abroad. I could have chosen to retire to several countries where UN staff can reside without payment of taxes but I picked Cork but now I find problems in my city.
It is a serious and unacceptable situation that law abiding citizens are concerned for their safety when walking the main streets of our cities. Calls to radio talk shows and letters to newspapers seem to confirm I am not alone in this regard.
This Government has failed to ensure public safety on our streets. In my opinion, the Government performance in this matter has been far from acceptable.
A garda was recently attacked in Dublin. It is another example of thugs willing to use violence against the public frontline workers and tourists.
People need to be able to walk our streets without fear of these kind of attacks. We must send a clear message that frontline workers have public support in bringing these thugs to court and giving them longer jail terms.
I usually skim through the sports section unless I spot an article by Cathal Dennehy, which I always carefully read.Ā I find his reports on athletics accurate, interesting, and sympathetic to the athletes and I enjoy his assessments immensely.Ā
He understands what athletes go through and how to convey this to the reader, especially his fine coverage of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
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