Keeping the public safe: A night with Claddagh Watch
By Joseph Murray
As the nights become longer, darker and colder, it is becoming increasingly easy to resist the outdoors and spend our Friday and Saturday evenings in the confines of our homes.
However, for the team of over 65 volunteers at Galway’s Claddagh Watch, who patrol Galway’s busiest waterways every weekend, that option is off the table.
The group was set up in 2019 after five people lost their lives in Galway’s waters in one week. Now, the group carries out between eight and 10 patrols per month, with more organised during peak times of year for Galway’s nightlife.
The importance of the group is exemplified by last year’s Water Safety Ireland figures. According to the statistics, an average of 105 drownings occur in Ireland every year, with 28 per cent of them involving alcohol.
Each volunteer is equipped with a personal floatation device (PFD), a torch, and a radio system to communicate with other teams of volunteers on duty in different parts of the city. Patrols typically begin after 9pm and last until the streets have cleared.
Typically, there are three teams in action each evening. Two teams are stationed in areas identified as higher risk, typically bridges, while another will patrol other popular hotspots, ensuring that no one is at risk of coming into danger.
One-on-one
On this particular evening, Andy Bluemlein is on patrol as a supervisor. Born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, Andy had previously trained as a voluntary first responder, before moving to Ireland after meeting his now wife.
Working as a project coordinator for his day job, Andy initially patrolled Galway’s waterways alone for four years, following an incident he witnessed which sparked him to take action into his own hands. However, with the creation of Claddagh Watch, Andy joined the collective as a founding member.
Now, four years into the role, Andy is aware of the importance of the work the group does. Yet, despite the serious nature of their efforts, he says it is vitally important that volunteers also enjoy their work: “I always try to get people focused on what we’re doing, because that’s why we’re out here, but also to have the craic,” he explains.
“If you don’t have the craic, then you won’t enjoy coming out here, but when you’re out here and having a bit of fun, you like to do it.”
Extra duties
Teams are also on hand to distribute makeshift slippers for those who lose their shoes on nights out, particularly needed on ladies’ day at the Galway Races, where high heels often don’t see the end of the night.
This is just one of many things that volunteers can find added to their list of tasks for the night. Nonetheless, as Andy explains, there are three fundamental things that make up the role of each volunteer on patrol.
“I would say our job is: preventing people going into the water, preventing stupidness on the water, and also when you see someone in a uniform, they’re good for everything … the rest of the job is to be there, keep an eye open and try to keep the public in Galway safe.”
“You need the equipment”
As Andy says, the main objective of Claddagh Watch is to ensure that no one enters the waterways. However, if an incident does occur, they often find themselves as first responders. To carry out this work, the necessary life-saving equipment is required on hand.
Galway City Council has placed 143 lifebuoys along the waterways in Galway City, ensuring that one is always within reach should someone fall into trouble. Yet, during his patrol, Andy notices one has been tampered with.
Attempting to repair the device is no easy task, with a specific organisation of the rope required to make the device operational, making it a time-consuming affair: “It’s not our job, but this lifebuoy is useless in the case of emergency,” he says.
“We can [fix] this tonight because we have time, but normally we don’t have time to do this. I don’t know which clowns don’t have anything better to do apart from this.
“In the case of emergency, if someone was in the water, I wouldn’t have the time. People don’t understand that this isn’t a fun thing. It’s so complicated to fix,” he continues.
“You need the equipment, the equipment needs to be in working order because it helps. The council isn’t putting them out for people at night-time to enjoy throwing in the water games.”
Community spirit
Despite these negative incidents, the group itself only ever receives positive interactions from the community on the street. Leonardo’s Hotel, formerly the Jury’s Inn, provides free tea and coffee for all volunteers, at any time during the patrol. Passers-by also regularly praise members for their work.
This is nothing new to Andy, who says that, although he encounters a significant amount of intoxicated individuals on each patrol, he has almost never had any negative interactions.
“I’ve been doing this for eight years, I can only think of one situation where I wasn’t comfortable. The rest, people approach and say ‘Great work’. With the teams, the other team is only a few corners away.”
This community spirit, both within the group and from the wider community, is a testament to the incredible work that goes on every weekend.
The nights may be bitter this winter, but there is nothing but warmth to be found within Claddagh Watch. Long may it continue.
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