€14,000 was Raised and the New Pagers are now on

Drogheda Leader - January 24th 2002

Earlier this year the Boyne Fisherman's Rescue and Recovery Service's emergency radio paging system was switched off - but thanks to the generosity of the people of Drogheda and surrounding villages the pagers are now back on.

When the pagers were switched off a massive campaign was launched to get a new system to replace the older one. Over 12,000 signatures were collected on West Street all calling for the pagers to be reactivated. Thanks to the Gardai, a two week collection period was granted and a trojan door to door collection took place.

The reaction to the collection was immense and a sum of €14,000 was collected in the buckets as people gave as generously as they could.

For hundreds of years the Boyne Fishermen have been on the River Boyne and during that time they always provided a search and recovery service when people were lost in the river.

The Fishermen's intimate knowledge of the nooks, crannies, swirls and twists in the river is passed down from generation to generation and they have a reputation nationwide as being experts in finding missing people lost in the lakes and rivers.

Only recently the fishermen recovered a man from a lake in Northern Ireland, the person had been missing for a week the fishermen had recovered the body within two hours bringing great relief to a grief ridden family desperate for the return of remains of the missing man.

Over the decades the recovery service became a rescue and recovery service and dozens of lives have been saved on the river thanks to the quick reaction of the rescue team.

In recent times, the service, despite remaining a voluntary organisation became very professional purchasing close to €250,000 in equipment. The organisation now has forty two active members including eleven qualified divers. Each member of the service has been trained and holds a boat handling licence.

Regular training takes place at the powerboat school in Athlone. Such is the esteem in which the BFRR Service is held, they are asked annually to provide the safety boats for the Ireland to Wales Celtic Challenge Rowing Race.

Currently the service has eight boats, including two sixteen foot rigid inflatable boats with fibreglass hulls ideal for sea or river rescue. In addition the service has three semi rigid I5ft inflatables which are also seagoing crafts. All the boats have the latest technology and radio equipment. Smaller boats include one 10ft and one 6ft craft which are used primary for searches because of their ability to get into tight nooks and crannies. The final boat that completes the mini armada is a clinker built recovery boat.

Interestingly, 15 years ago local fisherman Michael Hodins designed the first vertical recovery nets which are used in searches in depths where divers can't go. Since then, net manufacturers have used Michael's design for search nets.

The service recently bought an air compressor which fills the divers air bottles when at searches nationwide.

The rescue service helped establish five similar rescue crews around Ireland and is currently training a crew from Mayo.

In terms of emergency reaction times the fishermen spend so much of their time on the river, either working, fishing, training or at leisure. They are often on the scene of an emergency within minutes when the bleeper pagers notify them.

During the period when the bleepers were off the air a tragedy occurred on the river. What infuriated the people of Drogheda was that the fishermen were training a couple of hundred metres upstream at the time but because the bleepers were off, they were not notified of the emergency close by.

Quite simply, people were angry, very angry and it became obvious that if the Government or the Department of the Marine were not going to provide a bleeper paging system the townspeople would raise the €14,000.

The collection was truly extraordinary and it showed the rest of Ireland that Drogheda, despite its size, has the pride and passion of a small village. People stood out on the streets waiting for the fishermen to get to their homes with the buckets - within the fortnight €14,000 was collected to buy the newly needed digital multi tone paging system.

The aerial for the system was put up at Caifrey Cabs in Maple Drive. The 24 hour cab firm always have radio operators manning their phones so they were the ideal choice for the housing of the base unit.

Winners of People of the Year Awards in 2000 the service has picked up countless awards nationwide and locally for their vital contribution.

Travelling throughout Ireland on River and lake searches. They have trained civil defence units in recovery and search methods throughout Ireland.

Recently the BFRR boarded a sinking British yacht and brought the yacht to safety. Well known for searches on the Boyne the service also travels nationwide searching for missing people lost in Ireland's Waterways. Towns and counties where searches took place include River Barrow - Co. Kildare, Carlow town - Carlow, Lough Daravaragh and Lough Sheva - Co. Westmeath, River Suck Roscommon, Lough Sheelin - Co. Cavan, two searches in County Monaghan, Fingal, Skerries sea search, Muckross Lake, Killarney, Co. Kerry, (this led to the founding training of Killarney Water Rescue). Searches in Trim led to the foundation of Trim Rescue. In County Meath searches include those on the River Boyne, River Nanny, Moynalty, Bowkreakey Lake, a sea search in Laytown. There has also been a search in the River Blakewater in Kells, in Clogherhead a sea search, at Tallanstown, River Glyde and in Ardee the River Dee. A search also took place in Castle town river, Dundalk.

In Mayo, the service was involved in well publicised searches for missing men on Lough Conn, the river Moy in Foxford and Killala.

Countless other nationwide searches had taken place in a voluntary capacity at the volunteers own expense, including searches in Lough Derg Co. Tipperary, Lough Ballsagart in Tyrone, Kilkeel Co. Down, and Ardmousha Co. Clare.

The organisation provides safety boats at a number of events including Regattas, races etc.

Providing safety boats for big rock concerts is something the BFRRS are particularly proud working closely with the Gardai insuring that young concert goers are safe.

Currently the service is part of the new Gardai initiative coast watch. Every year the fishermen take the special children from St. Ita's Special School on an open day picnic trip along the River Boyne, the children adore these boat trips.

Michael Hodgins speaking on behalf of all the fishermen said "when the plug was pulled on our paging system everyone telephoned us offering support.

"Special thanks go to the DROGHEDA LEADER, who put our plight on the front page as their main story, and the people responded with a passionate anger." "They were brilliant, when you approached a house, people emptied their pockets, everyone knew what the situation was."

Last Friday saw the pager system being switched on by Garda Superintendent Fergus Doggett and Mrs. Mary Johnston from Ardee.

There is a saying 'you'll never beat the Irish' but notwithstanding that 'you'll never equal the people of Drogheda.' The paging system belongs to the people of the town.

The battle is over, the pagers are back on for good.

© Drogheda Leader