Beaches adequately covered by lifeguards

August 1995

KERRY’S main beaches are adequately covered by lifeguards and people should avoid swimming in areas where no lifeguards are on duty, Kerry County Council Water Safety Officer Brendan O’Connor warned this week.

He was reacting to criticism from a number of people who felt that more lifeguards should be on duty on Kerry’s beaches.

“We work out our budget at the beginning of the year and we have to put lifeguards on beaches like Ballybunion, Banna and Ballyheigue where the biggest crowds gather during the summer,” he said.

“We have to work within our budget and spread out the resources where we feel they are needed. We could not have foreseen this long hot summer at the beginning of the year, but maybe next year the councillors will make provision for extra lifeguards when they are voting on the annual estimates,” he said.

Mr O’Connor said the council currently employs 24 lifeguards on a full-time basis. They are on duty seven days per week on what are considered Kerry’s nine main beaches. An extra seven lifeguards are brought in to work at peak periods such as bank holiday weekends.

The lifeguards work between 12 noon and 7pm on week days and between 11am and 7pm on. Saturdays and Sundays.

“We cover all the main beaches, like Ballybunion, Banna, Ballyheigue, Inch and Rossbeigh. All we can do with the other beaches is erect signs warning people that there is no lifeguard on duty, and provided a lifebuoy,” he said.

He said it was regrettable that there had already been, two drownings on Kerry beaches this summer, one near Killarney and one at Inch earlier this month.

But he said that compared to other parts of the country, Kerry had a good record considering the number of people using the beaches in busy resorts.