A Galway riverbank patrol group has appealed to those socialising during the festive season to keep an eye and ear out for friends in the city.
The Claddagh Watch group of volunteers will walk the Corrib riverbanks up to and including Christmas Eve, and over the New Year’s weekend.
Claddagh Watch chairman Niall McNelis said that while it was great to see so many people enjoying themselves over the Christmas period, there was always a need for vigilance in relation to the risks associated with people out and about at night close to the river Corrib.
“We are asking people to buddy up when heading out for the night, and to watch out for friends and keep mobile phones fully charged,”McNelis, a Labour Party city councillor and mental health advocate, said.
“And please don’t hesitate to contact the emergency services on 112 if you are concerned about someone who is missing,”he said.
Claddagh Watch Patrol’s Niall McNelis on the banks of the River Corrib, Galway Photo: Andrew Downes
“Sometimes it may just be a young man who had gone to relieve himself, and hasn’t realised how close he is to the water’s edge,”McNelis said.
“The river Corrib is the fast flowing river of its size in Europe and people often don’t realise how strong the current is as it flows out into the bay.”
Claddagh Watch involves some 90 volunteers, about 50 of whom are actively patrolling the Corrib river banks and harbour area. The trained volunteers are out in all weathers until 3am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Claddagh Watch works closely with the Garda Siochána, the RNLI Galway lifeboat, the Galway Fire and Rescue Service and Water Safety Ireland.
It was formed in July 2019 to help prevent suicides in and on Galway’s waterways, and models itself on the Wexford Marine Watch charity which was initiated for similar years and is ten years old.
Claddagh Watch has been involved in 360 major interventions involving “blue light” services, and in 11 rescues over the past three and a half years.
“We have not lost anyone any night we were out,”McNelis said. “Our volunteers have accumulated over 10,500 hours of patrolling along the river.”
The organisation is recruiting more volunteers, and plans to extend its patrols up the Corrib via a towpath and walk which runs through the University of Galway campus and by the Corrib village student residential area.
