A MAN who attempted to rescue passengers from a car which had driven into a river in Co Wicklow during a stormy night in 1965 was yesterday presented with an Award of Merit for bravery by the Irish Red Cross.
Dermot Cranny, from Bray, was given the award at a lunch in his honour in the National Gallery in Dublin.
On the night of December 13th, 1965, Mr Cranny was one of three volunteers who responded to a call regarding a road traffic incident. A vehicle on the Dublin-Wexford Road had crashed through a barrier and into the river Dargle.
Despite the dangerous conditions, and wearing only his pyjamas, Mr Cranny tied a rope around his waist and waded into the river in search of the submerged vehicle.
Soon afterwards gardaí called off the search and the car was not located until the following day. The incident claimed two lives.
“I was picked to do the going in, because I was a Red Cross life-saver. We tied a rope around me, and the other two guys were holding the rope so I felt very safe,” said Mr Cranny. “The river was flooded, it was December. There were lots of rats and things running around so I was happier in the water than on the side of the bank.”
Mr Cranny (72), joined the Red Cross in 1953 and also received an award in recognition of his 50 years of service.
Tony Lawlor, the Red Cross’s acting chairman, said that Mr Cranny was an example of every principle the organisation stands for. “All of us, including our network of 6,000 volunteers, can learn from Dermot’s service,” he said.