Major award for two local lifeguards
The quick thinking of two local life guards who saved a kite surfer who had got into trouble at Port beach last summer was recognised when they were presented with the Des Kenny Award at the Irish Water Safety Awards ceremony in UCD before Christmas
Padraig Begley from Kilcurry and Conor McKeown, Inniskeen, had just come off duty at Port beach and were packing up to go home on June 30 2019, when a member of the public told them that a kite surfer had been lifted up by the wind and dropped onto the beach.
Conor ran to the lifeguard’s hut to get the first aid kit while Padraig went straight to the injured man.
‘He had been dragged along the beach and ended up on the rocks and was in a bad enough state,’ recalls Padraig. ‘He was unconscious and had an injury, a bad cut, to the back of his head and had lost blood. He also had an injury to his shoulder and cuts to his knees.’
Another man who was with the injured kite-surfer had phoned the emergency services, but his English was limited so Padraig took over and gave them directions.
As they waited for the emergency services to arrive, Padraig and Conor covered the man with blankets in a bid to keep him warm as a strong wind was blowing along the beach.
They also briefed the paramedics when they arrived about
40 minutes later and helped as the casualty was placed on a spinal board.
However, the ambulance was unable to access the beach, and the coastguard helicopter had to called out. Padraig and Conor assisted in shielding the injured kite-surfer from the sand which was blown up as the helicopter landed on the beach.
The injured man was then taken to hospital where he made a full recovery.
Padraig and Conor are both experienced life guards. Nineteen year old Padraig is a second year student UCD where he studies health and performance science. He has previously worked as a swim instructor at Aura Leisure in Dundalk. He is currently working as a part-time life guard and swim
instructor at UCD. Twenty-year old Conor works in Dublin and is involved in teaching kids how to swim.
They were presented with the Des Kenny Award which gives national recognition for those Irish Water Safety members who perform Basic Life Support outside of their occupation or official voluntary activities.
Padraig’s proud father Padraig Senior and sister Roisin were at the ceremony to see him presented with the award, while Conor was accompanied by his mother Aoife.
The citation acknowledged the actions of Padraig and Conor, saying that if they hadn’t reacted as they did, going back onto the beach when they had finished their shift, that a life could have been lost.