Four volunteers from Bundoran RNLI took to the pitch during yesterday’s (Sunday 3rd July) Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final at Croke Park, to promote the charity’s partnership with the GAA on water safety.
Before Limerick and Galway battled it out for a place in the final and in front of a packed stadium and TV audience, RNLI volunteers from across the Irish region including Killian O’Kelly, Dessie Daly, Packie Corr and Shane Smyth from Bundoran RNLI, dressed in full lifeboat kit, unfurled a giant flag showing an all-weather lifeboat in action.
3 July 2022; Volunteer Lifeboat crew from around Ireland promote the RNLI’s drowning prevention partnership with the GAA on the pitch at Croke Park during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final between Limerick and Galway. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
The RNLI and GAA water safety partnership was established in 2017 to raise awareness of drowning prevention and to educate communities on how to stay safe in and around the water.
The partnership is part of the GAA Healthy Clubs’ programme and has seen RNLI lifeboat crew visiting GAA clubs around Ireland to deliver water safety talks to all age groups.
Within a 10km radius of the 46 RNLI lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, there are 333 GAA clubs. From the first year of the partnership, the GAA have invited the RNLI to Croke Park for an All-Ireland semi-final, where the charity has reached new audiences that may someday save a life with water safety advice.
Speaking about the event, Gareth Morrison, RNLI Head of Water Safety said: “This was an amazing opportunity to be given by the GAA and it shows the importance of working in partnership with organisations who share our values. With so many people watching and listening, we are bringing important water safety messages to a huge audience, that could one day save a life.”
Bundoran RNLI’s Killian O’Kelly, also a Water Safety Education Manager with the charity, said: “All four of us were so proud to represent Bundoran RNLI and be part of yesterday’s activity to promote water safety and highlight the importance of this drowning prevention partnership with the GAA at Croke Park where there were over 52,000 people in attendance.
“The sea is on our doorstep in Bundoran and there are more people using it and enjoying it, all year round. In our community, the lifeboat station and the GAA club are near each other, and you see the shared values of volunteerism and pride in where you live. I know we can save lives in sharing this advice and I hope we can bring more people with us as we do it and make everyone a lifesaver.’
