The Ceann Comhairle, Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD presented 23 National Bravery Awards to individuals from across Ireland who risked their own lives to aid others in peril.
Recipients from counties Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford were among those honoured at the ceremony in Farmleigh House, for acts of bravery and courage.
In July 2019, Mary Noonan was swimming off the steps at Kilkee, Co. Clare when she heard shouting and saw a young boy going under the water. For her actions, Mary Noonan is awarded a Certificate of Bravery.
The Ceann Comhairle presented a ceremony to recipients and their guests at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, which brought recipients together to receive seven certificates, eleven Bronze Medals and four Silver Medals.
15 – year – old David Akar received a Gold medal award for Bravery and is one of the youngest receipients of this award since the establishent of the National Bravery Awards in 1947.
Speaking to guests at the ceremony, the Ceann Comhairle said: “This November day in Farmleigh is a day when we celebrate people who have made the world feel a little less dark, a little less dangerous and whose actions speak to the very best and noblest of impulses. This singular day marks moments where self-preservation was cast aside by our brave recipients as they risked their lives to help someone else.”
“These moments matter, because in many cases, lives were saved that would have been lost. They matter because even when people were lost, in some of the awful tragedies we remember today, those people were not alone. They would have known and their families know, that someone was with them, someone was bravely and desperately trying to save them, to bring them home.”
The annual honours are awarded by Comhairle na Míre Gaile – the Deeds of Bravery Council – which was founded 77 years ago in 1947 to enable State recognition of exceptional Acts of Bravery. The Council is chaired by the Ceann Comhairle and includes the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, the Lord Mayors of Dublin and Cork, the Garda Commissioner, the President of the Association of City & County Councils, and the Chairman of the Irish Red Cross.
For more information on the National Bravery Awards visit Bravery.ie.
Rescue of a child from the sea at Kilkee, Co. Clare
Just after noon on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, Mary Noonan was swimming off the steps at Kilkee, Co. Clare when she heard shouting and saw a young boy going under the water. The boy’s father had been calling out for help and was wading out towards his son.
When the father was chest deep, he too got into difficulty and called for someone to save his son. Mary swam over to the young boy who was panicking and going under the water.
By the time she got to him he was face down in the water, so she pulled him back towards the shore and began desperately trying to get him to breathe. The boy was coughing up a lot of water, but Mary got him back to his father who had regained his footing and was out of danger.
Although the young boy was taken to hospital due to the risk of secondary drowning, he recovered well and the family thanked Mary, who they called ‘their guardian angel’ for her help.
For her actions, Mary Noonan is awarded a Certificate of Bravery.
