22 heroes with stories of courage and bravery honoured at The National Bravery Awards

The Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy TD, presented 22 National Bravery Awards to heroes from across Ireland who risked their own lives to aid others in danger.

Retired RTÉ Presenter, Joe Duffy was the MC for the ceremony and it included the awarding of two certificates, fifteen Bronze Medals and four Silver Medals with the Gold award being posthumously presented to Callaghan O’Keeffe’s family.

11-year-old Carla Murphy is this year’s youngest recipient, receiving a silver medal for her courageous act of Bravery.

Speaking to guests at the ceremony, the Ceann Comhairle said: “We don’t all find ourselves standing with someone in the water, or holding onto them on a cliff edge, as some of our recipients have done. But every day we each have a chance to make a difference, by listening, supporting or just being there for someone when they need us. 

"It is also a significant day for all those who will see, or hear, or read about these brave deeds and feel better to know there are still good things being done, by good people. To all of our award recipients, on behalf of the people of Ireland let me thank you again for your actions, for your selflessness and for your courage. 

"What you have done has made the world feel a little less dark, a little less dangerous and gives hope to us all for the road ahead.”

Recipients from counties Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kildare, Offaly, Roscommon, Dublin, Donegal, Waterford, Cork and Cavan were among those honoured at the ceremony in Leinster House.

Jonathan Monroe from Mayo rescued a man from a canal in Galway city on Friday, 15 July 2022.

Jonathan Monroe was walking near the Eglinton Canal in Galway City. He heard noises and splashing coming from the canal and saw a distressed man deep in the water. The man, who was mostly submerged, was going under, with only his head visible above the water. Without hesitation, Jonathan stripped off his clothing and dived into the canal in an attempt to rescue him. 

He swam out to the man, who was now face down underwater and tried to turn him over to get his face up out of the canal. Although struggling to get the man turned onto his back, Jonathan managed to pull the man into a position where his head was out of the water and then swam with him towards the bank of the canal.  

Other passersby had by now called for the Emergency Services to attend and another man on the canal bank assisted Jonathan to remove the male from the water. When they got him ashore, he was distressed but conscious and was attended to before being taken away to receive further treatment. 

For his actions, Johnathan Monroe is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Another act of bravery was awarded to Garda Aiden Mc Tigue from Mayo and Inspector Brendan O’Grady from Galway who bothrescued a man from the River Corrib in Galway city.

At about 1.50 pm on the afternoon of Monday 27 July 2020, a member of the public ran in to Mill Street Garda Station in Galway City to report a man lying on a ledge beside the River Corrib.

The Corrib is notorious for having extremely strong currents and so Garda Aiden McTigue and Inspector Brendan O'Grady ran from the station to assist. They located the man near O’Brien’s Bridge and Garda McTigue tried to speak to him, but as he moved closer, the man deliberately rolled over into the water and was immediately caught up in the strong current.  

Without hesitation, Garda McTigue jumped in and swam towards the man, grabbing hold of him before pulling him towards the riverbank. Having retrieved a lifebuoy, Inspector O'Grady ran to assist, and they both held onto the man at the water’s edge, waiting for assistance from the fire brigade, who were enroute.  

However, the man lunged and grabbed both Gardaí, pulling them into the water and all three were dragged down river. Despite the swirling rapids they held on tight to the man, and although he continued to struggle with them in the water, they managed to placate him and get him back to the riverbank.  

The man was then taken from the water and brought to University Hospital Galway by ambulance, for medical assessment. 

For their actions, Garda Aiden McTigue and Inspector Brendan O’Grady are each awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Also awarded for their bravery at the ceremony was Dawn and Shane Mc Lawrence from Waterford whorescued a neighbour from a burning house in Waterford.

At around 10.30 am on the morning of 24 November 2023 Dawn McLawrence was walking past a neighbour’s house when she noticed smoke coming from the building. Having earlier spoken to the occupant, who told her she was feeling unwell and going to bed, Dawn tried to get in through the front door, but it was locked and there was no answer when she rang the bell. 

Dawn then ran into her own house and alerted her 21-year-old son Shane, and together they tried to get in through the back door. The door was locked but Shane grabbed a shovel and broke the glass so that they could reach in to unlock it. 

When Dawn and Shane got in the kitchen was full of smoke, and after opening an internal door they discovered the smoke emanating from the hallway. Due to the smoke, they found it hard to see anything, but they made out the occupant unconscious and unresponsive on the floor of the hall, with flames coming from the living room.  

The heat from the flames was intense, but Dawn and Shane grabbed their unconscious neighbour and began to pull her back down the hall. Due to the large amount of thick black smoke they had to take turns, one dragging the woman, while the other would protect their mouth to draw a breath. After managing to pull her from the hallway, they made it back out through the kitchen and into the rear garden. All three persons were treated by attending paramedics a short time later and went on to make a full recovery. 

For their actions, Dawn and Shane McLawrence are each awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Next, Nigel Cullen from Kildare rescued a young man from a burning house in Co. Kildare.

When a fire started on the deck of a house at Narraghmore, Co Kildare on the afternoon of 23 March 2024, the back of the house was quickly engulfed in flames. 

The homeowners were outside cleaning their car but when they looked back at the house, they could see flames and began to panic. They had just brought their 17-year-old son back from work and he was nowhere to be seen. Nigel Cullen was passing by and on seeing the fire he took the decision to brave the flames and entered the burning house to look for the young man. 

Nigel made his way through the house calling out for the man. However, the young man was taking a shower after work and it was only when the flames cut the electricity and stopped the shower, that he could hear Nigel calling for him.  

Nigel managed to get the young man safely out of the house, but on realising that there was another teenage brother missing he went back in again. Fortunately, the other boy was not in the house, which was extensively damaged by the fire.  

Nigel was later treated in hospital for a burn to his leg, smoke inhalation and some minor injuries. 

For his actions, Nigel Cullen is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

As well as this,  Ruairí O Huallachain from Dublin was awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery for the rescue of a woman from the River Liffey in 1982.  

On the night of 7 December 1982, Ruairí Ó Huallacháin was going into Dublin and got off the bus near Hawkins House on his way to O’Connell Bridge. As he got closer, he noticed a large crowd gathered at Burgh Quay staring into the darkness of the River Liffey and heard someone shout, “there’s a woman in the water”.  

In the dim light of the streetlights, Ruairí could just about make out a woman, about 20 or 30 feet out in the river, flailing her arms wildly and being pulled along by the current. He said to one of the onlookers that he was going in and took off his shoes and jacket, before climbing down a metal ladder and pushing out into the water. He then swam out in the darkness towards the woman and grabbed hold of her. Despite her continuing to panic and thrash about, Ruairí managed to clutch her under her arm and sidestroke her back to the ladder.  

A man came to their assistance and pulled the woman up, while Ruairí pushed her from the water. By then the Fire Brigade had arrived and they helped her over the wall and into an awaiting ambulance. 

Ruairí had cut his hand on the rusty ladder and was brought in the same ambulance before being transferred to the Meath Hospital for a check-up and tetanus injection.  

Following this, Detective Sup. David Nolan from Offaly and Garda John Carroll Roscommon were awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery for the attempted rescue of a young man from the River Nore in Kilkenny City. 

At around 2.30 am on the morning of Tuesday 1 April 2003, Gardaí responded to reports that a man had entered the River Nore at John’s Bridge in Kilkenny. Despite the freezing cold water and the fast flow of the river, Garda David Nolan took a rope and entered the river near where the man was last seen. After finding no sign of the man he joined colleagues who were by now searching from the riverbank.  

Sometime later a man was observed in the water and Garda Nolan went back in, swimming out to the man and putting a rope around him. The river was being dredged at the time and the flow was considerable, so with the man unresponsive, Garda Nolan was joined in the river by Garda John Caroll.  

Although some time had elapsed since the alarm was raised, the Gardaí did their best to keep the man’s head above water as they brought him ashore, in the hope that he might be revived or resuscitated. 

Tragically, despite their best efforts, and the help from their colleagues on shore, the young man was pronounced dead shortly after being removed from the water. 

From Donegal, Kealan Dolan was awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery for the rescue of a man from a burning house in Co. Donegal.  

On 21 June, 2024 around noon, Kealan Dolan was driving back from his grandfather’s house when he noticed smoke coming from a neighbouring house. Kealan jumped out of his jeep and tried to enter the house but was beaten back by smoke and flames. He tried again and this time got further into the house calling the homeowner’s name as he tried to find him. 

Eventually Kealan found the man, sitting in a chair surrounded by smoke and appearing to be incapacitated. Despite the thick black smoke and the best efforts of Kealan to persuade him, the man refused to leave the house.

With the heat and smoke worsening and finding himself becoming overcome by the smoke, Kealan made the decision to drag the man from the chair. He then pulled him physically out of the house to safety. As they were leaving the house a flashover took hold and blew out the windows, leaving the house almost completely gutted. 

Gardaí who attended noted that it was thanks to the quick actions of Kealan Dolan, on the day in question, that no fatalities occurred. The occupant of the house was brought by ambulance to hospital to be treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.  

Sergeant Fergal O’Connor from Waterford rescued a man from the River Barrow in Carlow town.

On 28 October 2019 at approximately 3.10 am, Garda Fergal O’Connor and members of his unit were about to cease duty when it was reported that a young man had gone into the river Barrow at Graiguecullen Bridge. When they got to the scene, several Gardaí had thrown life buoys towards the man in the water, but he had made no effort to grab them and was being dragged out further into the river. 

As the Barrow was heavy in flood at the time and the man was being swept closer to a dangerous weir, it became clear that someone would have to enter the river. Without hesitation Garda O’Connor took off his shoes and stab vest and jumped into the water. The night in question was extremely cold, about 2 degrees, so the water temperature was also very low. 

Garda O’Connor grabbed a life buoy in the water and swam through the darkness out towards the man. When he got to him, he grabbed the man by the collar and began swimming away from the weir, back towards the bank. The man made no effort to swim or otherwise assist in his own rescue, but Garda members on shore were able to pull the rope on the lifebuoy to haul the pair back out of the current. 

The Gardaí on the shore then helped Garda O’Connor get the man out of the water and fire and ambulance services arrived shortly after. The man was later transferred to Portlaoise Hospital, where he made a full recovery. 

For his actions, Garda (now Sergeant) Fergal O’Connor is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Naoise Quinn from Cork rescued a distressed man from cliffs at the Beacon, Baltimore, Co. Cork.  

On 3 September 2024, 18-year-old Naoise Quinn was walking with a friend, Ailise O’Sullivan near the Beacon cliffs in Baltimore, Co. Cork. On the way up to the Beacon they encountered a man in a distressed state who asked them to mind his phone and keys and then startled them both by making to jump off the cliff.  

Naoise ran at the man and tackled him to the ground to prevent him from jumping and held onto him. They attempted to calm him down and talked to him for a while to reassure him before walking with him down towards his van.  

On the way down the hill, he managed to get loose of Naoise’s grip and ran again towards the edge of the cliff and made to jump. Naoise ran after him and grabbed hold of his shirt to pull him back up, but the man continued to struggle and Naoise had to grab his belt to stop him falling.  

Ailise rang the Gardaí and helped Naoise pull the man back onto the grass, where they managed to hold him and limit his movement. The man continued to struggle and tried to break free again, but Naoise managed to catch hold of him again and restrained him until the Gardaí arrived and took the man to safety. 

For his actions, Naoise Quinn is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery.   

Brendan Grimes from Skerries, Dublin rescued a man from the sea near Skerries in 1963. 

In August 1963, four young men, all approximately 21 years of age were on holiday in Skerries, Co. Dublin. Early on the morning of Sunday, 4th, they decided to go for a swim at ‘The Captains’, a deep-water channel near Red Island. It was a cold damp morning with a lot of sea mist and they were advised by local youth, Brendan Grimes, who was just after a swim, to be careful as the water was cold with strong currents. 

Three of the men decided to swim, but due to the cold, two of them went back to shore. The young man who was still in the water was about 40-50ft offshore when he suffered a bad cramp, and his legs seized up. In a panic he started thrashing about and began sinking under the water. Brendan Grimes, dressing on the shore, realised the danger and quickly ran back into the sea.  

Although a good swimmer, Brendan had no lifeguard training, but he made it out to the young man, John Connell, who had by then gone under several times and was panicking. Brendan pulled John up from under the water and although John was thrashing about and pulling at him, he managed to calm him. John later noted that ‘due to my struggling endangering both of us, he could easily have chosen to free himself to save his own life, but he didn’t.’.                

Brendan lay on his back and made for the shore with John holding onto his shoulders. Although there was a large crowd watching by the time they reached the shore, it was the then 18-year-old Brendan Grimes who effected the rescue by himself. 

For his actions, Brendan Grimes is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Michael Collins from Cork rescued a woman from the water at Roovesbridge, Co. Cork.

At around 11 am on Monday 20 January 2025, Micheal Collins noticed a car parked across from his home near the river. On closer inspection he noticed the windows were down and there was a handbag on the seat. Realising there was something wrong, he began to search along the shore and crossed over to Roovesbridge where the river widens. Seeing a lady in the water he realised her situation and despite the cold day, he entered the river to try and assist her. 

It was freezing cold in the water, and as a man of 70 years and a poor swimmer, Michael realised he would not be able to physically take her out, so he walked in as far as possible and spoke to her gently, while also calling the Gardaí. 

When Gardaí arrived, they found Mr. Collins still waist high in the river speaking to the lady, who was further out. After a few minutes the fire service arrived. Michael managed to get hold of the lady by the hand and bring her back in from the water. When they got ashore the woman was hypothermic and was brought to hospital for treatment. 

Micheal was in the water for about 45 minutes and was left shaken and cold after the incident. He noted to Gardaí this was the second time he had been compelled to enter the river to bring someone ashore. 

For his actions, Michael Collins is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Eoin Clancy from Galway rescued a woman from the water near the Spanish Arch in Galway city.

On Wednesday 23 September 1992, Eoin Clancy was returning with friends from a nightclub in Galway city.  They were crossing Wolfe Tone Bridge at around 3 am when they heard a loud commotion coming from the water’s edge. A crowd of people near the Spanish Arch, on the Long Walk side of the river, were shouting towards a young woman who was screaming for help in the water. 

Eoin couldn’t see the woman in the water, so he made his way as far as Nimmo’s pier on the opposite side of the river and went into the water at the slip. A strong swimmer, Eoin nonetheless had to swim out in the darkness to a point where he could intercept the young woman. When he got to her, she was going under the water and naturally panicking so she grabbed hold of him. In the fast-flowing water of the Corrib, Eoin had no buoyancy aids or other assistance, but he held onto the woman and kept her afloat while others tried to get a boat.  

Eventually a boat reached them and Eoin helped to get the woman onboard. Eoin was later taken to A&E by the Gardaí who were concerned for his condition, but he was discharged after observation. 

For his actions, Eoin Clancy is awarded a Bronze medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Donal Kavanagh from Belfast rescued his sister and grandparents from a burning house in Sligo.

At 1.02 am on Sunday, 22 December 1991, 11-year-old Donal Kavanagh made an emergency call to Sligo fire service, reporting a fire at his grandparents’ house. 

Donal and his younger sister had been asleep at their grandparents’ house when a loud noise woke Donal. When he went to investigate, he found the living room ablaze and filling with smoke. He closed the door and ran to alert his grandparents. As they did not have a phone, he ran to an uncle’s house nearby and called the emergency services. 

Realising his 4-year-old sister Siobhán and his granduncle Patrick were likely still in their beds, he ran back and went into the burning house. By this stage the fire was spreading through the house, but Donal managed to reach the room where his sister was sleeping and got her out of bed and out of the house. A neighbour had been alerted by the commotion and Donal then helped him to smash the glass in another bedroom window to rescue his granduncle, Patrick. The fire report of the time notes that everyone was successfully rescued, with Donal’s actions saving the lives of five people. 

For his actions, Donal Kavanagh is awarded a Silver medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Pauge Lynch, award being accepted by his daughter Alison Lynch from Cavan for the rescue of an elderly neighbour from a house in Virginia.

At approximately 9 am on Monday 24 November 1986, Pauge Lynch was returning home to Carrigabruise, Virginia, Co. Cavan when he noticed smoke and flames coming from a nearby farmhouse. The house had a thatched roof and belonged to an elderly neighbour. 

As Pauge approached the farmhouse, he saw the curtains burning in the main living room and realised he had to get in. It took him three to four attempts to break into the farmhouse, after which he was met with a plume of smoke and flames.  

Unable to see because of the smoke, Pauge called his neighbour’s name and heard a groan coming from the floor of the kitchen. Crouched down and crawling through the smoke, it took him some time before he managed to locate his neighbour lying on the floor. With the building ablaze and the fire spreading through the thatched roof, he proceeded to drag the elderly man out through the smoke and burning material.  

Pauge was in the process of trying to lift him into his jeep when another neighbour arrived to help and the rescued man, who was then in his nineties, was brought by ambulance to hospital, where he recovered. The house itself was completely destroyed. 

For his actions, Pauge Lynch (RIP) is posthumously awarded a Silver medal and a Certificate of Bravery. 

Carla Murphy from Waterford was awarded a Silver medal and a Certificate of Bravery for the rescue of her mother from a serious assault at their home.

At approximately 7:45 pm on 20 December 2023, under cover of darkness, an intruder entered a house in Waterford City. The man climbed onto a flat roof and entered an upstairs bedroom. Carla Murphy’s mother was in the bedroom at the time and was shocked by the appearance of the man in the bedroom. She started to scream and shout at the man, who grabbed at her violently and tried to choke her.  

While this was happening, 9-year-old Carla rang her father. He could hear the screaming and shouting on the phone and told her to stay in her bedroom while he called the Gardaí. Somehow Carla’s mother managed to get free and got her assailant down the stairs and out of the house. However, when she went back upstairs to lock the door to the flat roof, he had already pushed through the door and was attacking her again pushing her down on the bed, covering her mouth to prevent her screaming. 

Carla heard the struggle and rang her father again. Despite being told to stay in her room, Carla was so scared for her mother that she opened her door and ran to the kitchen. Although only 9 years old and petrified with fear, she took a knife from a kitchen drawer and went up the stairs to try to help free her mother.  

Carla’s mother managed to get her nails into the attacker and was able to flee the bedroom and the house with Carla. At this stage the Gardaí arrived on the scene and Carla was able to tell the Gardaí that the man was still upstairs. At this point the man fled and was arrested by the Gardai a short time later hiding in a neighbouring garden.

Pat Cannon from Donegal rescued a crewmate from the sea off the Mayo coast and was awarded a Silver medal and a certificate of Bravery. 

On a cold October night in 1988 the crew of the MV Rosses Morn were fishing some miles off the Mayo coast, near the Stags rocks. They noticed the wind change and increase in speed and decided to head for shelter. As they were hauling in the nets, a bobbin snapped and struck a crew member, Flor Nolan on the back of the head, knocking him across the boat and into the rough sea.  

Despite not being able to swim, the skipper, Pat Cannon, who was steering the boat, realised that his shipmate would be lost if he did not act. Grabbing a rope, he jumped into the dark sea and grabbed hold of Flor. As they were both wearing oilskins and boots, they were being dragged under by the weight and the growing swell. 

The other two crew on board hauled the men towards the boat and somehow managed to get Flor back on board. However, they could not get Pat out of the water, and he lost his grip on the rope. Struggling against the rough seas and weighed down by his boots and boiler suit, Pat managed to wrap the chain of the trawl door around his arm and hold on. The wind and waves pushed him under several times as he was dragged along the stern and the motion of the boat meant it was impossible to pull him out. 

Eventually the boat took a roll, and Pat came up long enough that the crew could grab his feet and pull him aboard. He was blue with the cold and some of the crew thought he was dead. The crewman he had rescued, Flor Nolan, noted that Pat Cannon could not swim when he jumped into the sea to save him. In the same statement he wrote that he owes his life to Pat Cannon. 

Callaghan O’Keeffe from Cork saved a woman by pushing her from the path of an oncoming car.

Around 11 am on Friday, 18 October 2024, in the car park of a shop in Fermoy, Co. Cork, a car began reversing out of a parking space, the driver apparently unaware that there was a woman in his path.                          

90-year-old, retired teacher, Callaghan ‘Cal’ O’Keeffe noticed the danger and began shouting at the car to stop, as well as trying to alert the woman to the danger. Unfortunately, the driver did not respond to the shouts and the car continued to accelerate towards the woman. 

Just before the car struck, Cal managed to push the woman out of its direct line. The car still struck the woman but because of his position it also struck Cal full on. While the woman survived with very serious injuries, Cal himself was fatally wounded and shortly afterwards was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The driver of the car, also an elderly gentleman, was treated at the scene while the woman was rushed away in an ambulance to be treated for her injuries. 

For his actions and for giving his life to save another, Callaghan ‘Cal’ O’Keeffe is posthumously awarded a Gold medal and a memorial Certificate of Bravery.