Local lifeguards in action at water safety championships

Trim teacher and chairperson of Meath Water Safety, Donncha ” Siadhail, won the masters surf race in the Irish Water Safety’s National Surf Lifesaving Championships in Donegal recently. The Kilmessan man and his brother, Marcus, both took part in the championships. While Donncha has been competing in championships since he was a teenager, it was his younger brother’s first time taking part. The brothers took part in the rescue tube final, finishing seventh. In the surf race, Donncha had to make a running start into the surf from the start line on the beach, swim around a 280 metre course designated by buoys, and return to shore to finish between the finish flags on the beach. In the rescue tube rescue, four competitors from each team participate - a 'victim’, one rescue tube swimmer, and two rescuers. The victim swims 120 metres to a designated buoy, signals, and waits to be rescued by the rescue tube swimmer. As they return to shore, the remaining two rescuers enter the water to assist. The event finishes when the first competitor in a team crosses the finish line while in contact with the victim. Donncha, who teaches at Boyne Community School, is chairperson of Meath Water Safety, which is responsible for the training of pool lifeguards, beach lifeguards and general water safety classes. The body currently operates out of the Aura Lesiure Centre in Trim, having previously been active in the county’s swimming pools when they were then owned by the local authority in Navan, Trim and Kells. “It generally tends to be the instructors who take part in the competitions, as training is voluntary and on our own time,” Donncha explained. They train along with the Kildare group, and Donncha is also involved with Trim Swimming Club and the club at NUI Maynooth. The lifeguards competed at Irish Water Safety’s National Surf Lifesaving Championships at Rossnowlagh Beach, Co Donegal. Some 400 competitors from counties nationwide competed, representing Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. A guest team of lifesavers from Wales also competed. The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan, presented the awards to the winners. Minister Coughlan expressed confidence in the training received from Irish Water Safety Coaches nationwide. “Athletes demonstrated a competence second-to-none this weekend and tackled with ease, the challenging open water environment of Donegal’s coastline. It is a credit to Irish Water Safety coaches nationwide who spent all year preparing competitors around Ireland’s coastline. The public can rest assured that the skills demonstrated this weekend - skills that are on call every year at lifeguarded waterways - will continue to be available for the safety of those swimming in open water next season.” The sport of lifesaving, which meets all Government guidelines towards lifelong involvement in water based lifesaving skills and the development of a healthy lifestyle, has been developed to improve the standard of life guarding in Ireland and assist lifesavers save lives. As part of its remit to promote water safety in Ireland, Irish Water Safety trains lifeguards employed at beaches, lakes, rivers and pools nationwide. Irish Water Safety encourages the public to learn to swim and enroll in one of the many courses nationwide in the valuable skills of water survival and lifesaving. Meath Water Safety runs classes in Trim on Monday nights from 6pm-8pm for all levels, from general water safety to the specialist awards and pool lifeguard. See www.meathwatersafety.ie for more information.