Lifford and Letterkenny lads honoured for their bravery and community spirit

The endeavour and bravery of three young people from Donegal were duly rewarded yesterday (Saturday) when the accolades were handed out to celebrate the contributions of young people, both individually and as part of groups, for the National Garda Youth Awards 2022.

Lifford's Josh Marley and Letterkenny duo, Alan McCarron and Cormac Brady, picked up the top prizes in the Special Recognition and Community Safety Award sections respectively.

Josh was recognised for his life-saving efforts at Lifford Bridge on the night of August 27, 2021. He managed to rescue a female who was in a very distressed state and without any consideration for his own safety.
He brought the woman to the river bank and emergency services were contacted.

His actions have been described as "selfless" and "courageous" by displaying great strength of character while managing to keep a level head in an emergency situation.

Adam and Cormac with Deputy Commissioner, Anne Marie McMahon

Adam and Cormac were inspired to make their mark after they took part in a Youth Leadership initiative between February and September 2021 where they completed a leadership community action project.

They decided to collaborate with the Letterkenny Fire Service and set about visiting the elderly in the Termon-Kilmacrennan areas to check and install fire alarms. They acquired boxes of alarms from the service and distributed them to the homes of the elderly. They also checked existing alarms and were shocked to discover that many alarms were rarely checked or had old batteries.

The boys replaced batteries in the alarms that needed them, collected information from the homes they visited and subsequently passed this on to Letterkenny Fire Service to be stored in their database so a return visit can be arranged in two years time. This provided great comfort to the residents of the houses they visited

Adam and Cormac also distributed leaflets at the houses they called to in an effort to raise awareness about Carbon Monoxide poisoning and alarms. They also handed out information posters to shops in the area to inform the community that they were calling to homes and to reassure them of the reason for the their visit.
They carried out fire safety leaflet drops at schools, churches and bingo centres.
The boys were honoured for their efforts in providing a free and possibly life saving service which they completed with great enthusiasm.

Presentations

The event took place at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise and acknowledged the contributions made in a number of Garda Divisions which included Dublin, Wicklow, Kerry, Cork, Wexford, Sligo/Leitrim, Mayo/Roscommon, Longford, Kildare, Tipperary and Donegal.

These awards were established by Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris in 2019 in recognition of the meaningful work of so many young people in communities all across Ireland.

This year’s awards were presented by Deputy Commissioner, Anne Marie McMahon and Assistant Commissioner, Roads Policing and Community Engagement, Paula Hilman.

Speaking at the prizegiving, Deputy Commissioner McMahon said this was a special occasion that shines a light on the inspiring and dedicated young people within our communities.

"It is important that we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions they have made. We hope today's awards will bring encouragement and confidence to these talented young people and allow for further growth in their futures," she said.