The late Caitríona Lucas has been honoured with gold award for bravery.
The presentation ceremony took place at Farmleigh House in Dublin today. The gold medal, the highest award that can be made by the State to an individual, was accepted on behalf of the Lucas family by Caitríona’s son Ben.
The 41-year-old mother-of-two died tragically on September 12th 2016 while engaged in a search for a man reported missing in Kilkee.
At the time, Caitríona was on board a search boat with two other volunteers from the local Kilkee station. The rigid inflatable boat (RIB) capsized throwing the crew of three into the sea.
During a massive multi-agency operation, all three volunteers were rescued however Caitríona was later pronounced dead in hospital.
Since her untimely death, Caitríona has received several posthumous honours including Clare Person of the Year and a BSc Degree in Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University in Wales.
Caitríona had been studying by distance-learning whilst working as a librarian for Clare County Council, and volunteering for the Irish Coast Guard and the Search and Rescue Dog Association.
Just last month, the Coast Guard station in Doolin where Caitríona was based, was renamed in her honour.
