Siblings who saved the life of their two-year-old brother after he went missing only to be discovered head first in a 4ft-deep hole full of muddy water were among the recipients of National Bravery Awards in Dublin this afternoon.
On February 11th, 2020, toddler Daniel Bourke was discovered in the hole by his then nine-year-old brother Micheál.
The extent of the hole had been hidden due to heavy snowfall in the area. Micheál tried to pull Daniel out of the water but his saturated clothes dragged the child down.
Their sister Katie Butler Haughney (14) succeeded in pulling Daniel out. He was blue and lifeless and was carried into the house where his mother started doing compressions.
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After some 20 minutes of CPR, Daniel started to breathe again, and colour returned to his face. He was transferred by helicopter to Limerick Regional Hospital. Fortunately, he made a full recovery. The siblings received medals for their heroics on the day.
Other recipients include gold medal winner Kevin Barr, who rescued a woman from Lough Foyle, Co Donegal, on the evening of August 20th, 2020, when Storm Ellen brought very high winds and heavy rainfall across the country.
At about 10pm a car skidded off the road and crashed into the water at Quigley’s Point. A member of Greencastle Coast Guard Unit, Kevin Barr, was quickly on the scene.
Mr Barr spotted a woman on the underside of the vehicle, which had turned over and landed on its roof. She was in danger of being washed off the car.
Barr held on to the woman until the emergency services arrived and brought her to safety. Tragically, her husband and two children had also been in the car and their bodies were later recovered.
Silver medal recipient Miley Doran saved a woman and her daughter (13) from drowning on the River Barrow in Co Carlow in May 2021. Mr Doran (17), who was fishing nearby, dived into the water and rescued the young girl first, pulling her to the bank. He then turned back to rescue her mother.
Mr Doran then put his jumper back on, gathered his fishing gear and left without seeking praise.
Other silver medal recipients included Michael Downes, Liam Halpin, Stephen Ryan and Rosaleen Feeney.
Mr Downes rescued a boy from the sea in Old Head, Louisburgh, Co Mayo, in July 1974. He still bears scars from the rescue.
Stephen Ryan rescued three women from the sea in April of this year at the north beach in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Sadly, despite his best efforts, one of the women was pronounced dead. However, without his brave intervention there would have been more fatalities.
Mr Halpin rescued a woman from the sea in Doonbeg in Co Clare in August 2020. Ms Feeney saved an elderly man from a burning house in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, in May 2021.
Other recipients include Michael Nallon who was working in Ballinafad, in Co Mayo when his colleague became ill and had to be rescued from an overturned digger in August 2020.
The man slumped over the controls of the machine, which then spun around a couple of times and entered the water.
Mr Nallon climbed into the cab in the water and remained in the machine for an hour holding his colleague’s head above water until the emergency services arrived. Mr Nallon received a bronze medal.
Other recipients include John Colfer who intervened when he saw a gang of youths attacking a member of An Garda Síochána. Mr Colfer received a bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Lee Conlon, Gda James Keegan and Gda Colin Kyne-Delaney received bronze medals after they rescued a man from the River Liffey at Eden Quay in Dublin in March 2020.
Gda Kieran Donovan was awarded a bronze medal for saving the life of a man at a motorway bridge in July 2018. Gda Brendan Crawford and Gda Ciaran Murray received a bronze medal for rescuing a woman from the River Camac in June 2020.
Describing his experience, Gda Murray, from Kildare, said it was “like any other day on patrol” when he and his colleagues received a radio call from their base in Ballyfermot to say a woman and her dog were drowning under a bridge.
“Fortunately, we were two minutes away, but when we got there, we couldn’t see her well. It was dark, so we got a rope and jumped in. She was trying to save her dog. We got them both out and checked the woman’s vitals and thankfully she was okay.”
“I’m delighted to receive this medal. I’m very proud. It’s a massive privilege and not every day you receive an award like this,” he told The Irish Times.
“It’s my first time getting an award and the family are all here so it’s a day out for us,” he said.
Recipients received their medals from Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl. Winners hailed from counties Carlow, Clare, Donegal, Dublin, Mayo and Wicklow.
