Water safety concerns at Dollier

LIFEGUARD cover on Dollymount Strand has been extended after concerns were raised about safety on the popular Northside beach.

Dublin City Council increased the time the lifeguards are on duty for an extra two hours in the evening as the recent good weather attracted thousands to the coast.

Cllr Damian O’Farrell (Ind) had raised concerns with the council when he noticed recently that the lifeguards on duty at Dollymount left when their shifts finished at 6pm.

However, Cllr Farrell, who is a regular user of the beach, noted that over a hundred people were still in the water at the time.

“On a recent Saturday I was enjoying Dollymount Beach with my family when I noticed the lifeguards shutting up shop at 6pm,

? he said.

“At the time they left there were at least 100 to 150 people still in the water and possibly another couple of thousand on the sand.

“I spoke to two lifeguards and found out that their hours are from 11.30am to 6pm. They indicated to me that Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council had extended their lifeguard hours to eight in the evenings due to the great weather we had been experiencing.

“I realise the council has little money but the result of this lack of flexibility was putting people’s lives at risk,

? he added.

“There have been several drownings across the country in the last few weeks and Irish Water Safety and other authorities have been repeatedly issuing warnings in the media regarding water safety.

?

Cllr Farrell contacted the Area Manager and City Manager of Dublin City Council to air his concerns. They replied that they had reviewed the situation and were extending the lifeguard hours on Dollymount until 8pm for the next couple of weeks.

In email correspondence to Cllr Farrell, a Dublin City Council official wrote:

“Given the wider concerns expressed and the number of fatalities from drowning in recent weeks, the lifeguard service at Dollymount Strand has been reviewed. The service will be extended from the current times of 11.30am to 6pm to the new hours of 11.30am-8pm with immediate effect for the next two weeks.

“The situation will then be reviewed depending on the weather and the usage of the beach.

?

Cllr Farrell said he welcomed Dublin City Council’s move.

“I think that the ideal solution going forward is that a protocol be established that would allow flexibility when we experience a weather front like the one we recently enjoyed,

? he added.

“I’ll be working with Dublin City Council on that.

?

Meanwhile, it has proved to be a very busy time for Howth Lifeboat crews as they responded to four callouts in one 30-hour period recently.

Three of the calls related to incidents at Malahide with the fourth at Balscadden Bay in Howth.

Howth RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat came to the rescue when three males in their late 20s, who were attempting to swim from the Donabate side of Malahide Harbour back to the marina, suddenly found themselves in trouble on the morning of Sunday, July 21.

One man got into difficulty and his friend managed to get him to a nearby dinghy. Two men who were out fishing raised the alarm and Howth RNLI Inshore Lifeboat picked up the third male from the beach. Meanwhile, one of the swimmers, who had suffered an epileptic fit, was brought to hospital.

That same afternoon Howth RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat was tasked to Malahide again with reports of a rowing boat with five persons onboard struggling to make headway in the strong current.

However, the rowers had their own rescue boat with them and were safely back in their berth by the time the lifeboat arrived on the scene.

Later that evening Howth RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat was once again hitting the water after two yachts ran aground in the channel at Malahide.

Both yachts were eventually freed by lifeboat crews.

On the following morning (Monday, July 22) Howth Inshore Lifeboat was tasked to Balscadden Beach when a member of the public spotted a 19ft day sailor in difficulty with an onshore breeze.

On arriving at the scene a tow was established and the vessel, with two persons on board, was brought back to the safety of Howth Harbour and returned to its mooring.

Lifeboat Operations Manager Rupert Jeffers said:

“We would ask all people taking to the sea in any sort of vessel to please check tide times and weather conditions as well as being prepared with the suitable clothing and life jackets.

?