Defibrillator installed in Stoneybatter phone box

A new defibrillator has found a somewhat unusual home in Stoneybatter.

Earlier this month, the lifesaving piece of equipment was installed in a traditional green and white Irish phone box, injecting the Dublin 7 area with a really stylish retro feature.

Dubbed 'the heart of Stoneybatter' by locals, the vital unit is located on the grass verge at the Stoneybatter Rock, just across from Kavanagh’s pub.

The launch of the defibrillator is the culmination of months of local fundraising and the assistance of Dublin city councillors.

The project is the brainchild of local resident Alan Ecock, who was born and raised on Manor Street. Alan spotted a similar installation in Killarney while on holidays last year but this is the first of its kind in Dublin – and hopefully not the last.

Alan commented said: “This initiative is so important for us in Stoneybatter and will help us support the community and save lives. It's great to launch it during the summer when many of the community will be out enjoying the weekend. We see this as just the start and with the support of Dublin City Council we might just see more retro phone boxes with defibs pop up across the city.”

Brigid Sinnott, Resuscitation Manager at the Irish Heart Foundation, said: “When a person suffers a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation. If CPR is commenced immediately, the person’s chance of survival doubles.

“AEDs are simple to use and need to be available, accessible and in working order to make the difference in communities. We are delighted that the local people in Stoneybatter will benefit from this new AED and it will improve their chance of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest in their community.”