Galway’s Claddagh Watch Patrol, providing lifesaving support for our City
The following article contains mentions of suicide which may be triggering for some readers.
The Claddagh Watch Patrol are a volunteer organisation who were set up by Arthur and Deborah Carr in 2019 to help prevent accidental deaths and suicides along Galway City’s waterways. The mission of the Claddagh Watch is to create a safe environment along Galway’s waterways, this is achieved by conducting patrols every weekend and by creating a sense of awareness. The first patrol conducted by the Claddagh Watch took place on the 5th of July, around this time there had been a lot of people who had entered the water, and five people who had taken their own lives. We spoke to Claddagh Watch Patrol volunteer and supervisor Declan McGuinness to get a first-hand insight into the organisation.
A typical patrol for the Claddagh Watch every weekend would start at 10pm, however, there is never an exact time put on for when they finish a patrol, “sometimes I’d be finished at 4 and on the way home I’ve taken people off the bridge who had been in distress”. Declan goes onto explain the work done by the Claddagh Watch during the week when there is no official patrol, the organisation has a plan put in place to help people who are in distress near the river during the week, “I could get a call in the evening during the week, maybe someone is in distress and heading to the river, we’d therefore put out a team”.
One of the primary reasons, alongside water safety, that this organisation was set up was for a focus on suicide prevention. Declan gave some insight into the type of training that volunteers receive upon joining, volunteers receive training in suicide prevention provided through the HSE, these include SafeTalk training, ASIST training, as well as an online course on suicide prevention skills. But suicide prevention is not the only training that Claddagh Watch volunteers receive, Declan also tells us they receive other lifesaving skills with CPR training and training in rape crisis.
So, what encourages a volunteer to join the Claddagh Watch? When asked, Declan recalled when he first discovered the Claddagh Watch Patrol, “I was going to work and was listening to GalwayBay FM when I heard them talking about the Claddagh Watch”, this was when the organisation had first started and was only a few months old and looking for volunteers. As Declan remembered an incident that highlights the importance of the Claddagh Watch and the people that are alive today because of them, “they [the Claddagh Watch] had taken someone off the bridge this particular night, he was taken to hospital and half an hour later he was back on the bridge”. Declan went on to explain his background prior to the Claddagh Watch, “my prior experience I had been involved in the coast cliff rescue back in Donegal and thought I could be of some assistance to them”. From here he went and contacted one of the founders, Deborah Carr, and has been in the Claddagh Watch Patrol for five years.
When it comes to suicide prevention, Declan gave some advice on everyday things people can do to help prevent suicide and provide an awareness to it. One of the main things to look out for, as Declan says, is a change in someone’s pattern, “if someone seems strange or off, maybe they’re drinking more than usual, taking substances a bit more than normal, staying in their room a bit longer than normal”, these are a few patterns which Declan describes as red flags, if you recognise patterns such as these in anyone you know, it could be a friend, a housemate or even a work colleague, this is where you should take a step to check-in with this person.
The Claddagh Watch Patrol is always looking for volunteers. The Claddagh Watch has a very diverse group of volunteers, as Declan says, “we get people from all walks of life”. They also have students from the various colleges in Galway who are currently volunteers in the Claddagh Watch. One of the main points that Declan emphasises is that volunteers never enter the water under any circumstances, and one thing that remains very clear is that “as volunteers we make it very clear that your own safety is number one”. Anyone wishing to join the Claddagh Watch, no requirements are needed as training is provided, and with the emphasis on the safety of volunteers, you never enter the water.
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, needs someone to talk to or has been affected by any of the issues mentioned above, the following numbers are available for support:
Your Mental Health 24/7: 1800 742 444
Rape Crisis Centre: 1800 355 355
Student Health Unit in University of Galway: 091 492604
