Tragic mother wins highest bravery award
A VOLUNTEER coast guard who lost her life on a rescue mission last year has been posthumously awarded the Gold Medal for Bravery.
The family of Caitríona Lucas accepted the medal – the highest award made by the State to an individual – at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
The 41-year-old mother-of-two was searching for a missing man with two other volunteers when their boat overturned at Kilkee, Co. Clare, on September 12 last year.
A rescue operation was immediately launched but, tragically, Ms Lucas died shortly after she was lifted from the water by the Shannon rescue helicopter. Presenting the award, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl praised the courage and selfless actions of Ms Lucas, who was from Liscannor in Clare.
He said it was a reminder of how members of the emergency services put their lives on the line.
At Ms Lucas’s funeral last year, which was attended by President Michael D Higgins, her son Ben gave a speech describing her as ‘an exceptional person in every way’.
He said his mother always gave ‘100%’, adding: ‘Goodbye to our wonderful mother. Love always. You are my hero.’
Ms Lucas’s husband Bernard thanked everyone who supported the family after his wife’s death, saying: ‘We’re all family amongst the services.’
The Gold Medal was first introduced in 1947. There have been 12 recipients, including Ms Lucas.
Fifteen honours were presented as part of the National Bravery Awards yesterday.
The recipients include gardaí who saved motorists from drowning after their cars entered water, a woman who intervened to save her mother from a vicious attack, and a man who put out a fire at a petrol station fuel pump.