Press Releases
98FM Safety First
1st December 2007
98FM’s Alison O’Reilly, co presenter of The Inbox, 98FM’s late night talk show, raised the topic of water safety due to the recent tragedy in Lahinch, County Clare claiming the life of a 19 year old. Alison discussed her personal experiences as a life-guard, and spoke candidly on air about how she risked her own life and that of her friends after a few drinks and ignored the rules of water safety.
Having been practically brought up in the water, Alison, who hails from Drogheda was a strong swimmer from the age five, and qualified as a lifeguard at the age of 16. Alison’s mother is a swimming instructor, swimming examiner and works in the Aura Swimming Pool, Drogheda; while her sister Jean, runs the Aura Swimming Pool, Galway. Both are also qualified lifeguards. So with all her experience and family background Alison admits she is well aware of the rules and regulations of water safety, but still got carried away on a night out.
“Around 12 years ago, when I was 19 years old, I lived in Jersey with a group of friends from Drogheda, although I am qualified in water safety, one night after a group of us were in a nightclub, someone suggested going swimming in the sea. It was around 2am and pitch black down at the water. I know one of the basic things in water safety is never swim in the dark but I ignored this and off I went.
We swam out to some rocks, there we dived in, did back flips, summersaults etc. We must have been in the water for a good hour – it was summer in Jersey and it was warm. As we were swimming back to the shore, one of my friends, who couldn’t really swim got into difficulty and started trying to climb on me, she was very strong – most people are when they are in a panic like that. I called out to two guys who I used to swim with in the Drogheda swimming club and they came over and helped.
We all got back to shore and were exhausted; I thought no more of it. But the next day I knew what I’d done was really stupid and that situation could have ended in a tragedy – thankfully though it didn’t. I haven’t done anything like that since.”
Alison was more recently witness to another incident closer to home. While swimming in the sea near Howth with a friend, a group of young guys, who had clearly been drinking, started pulling out of both Alison and her friend. Then one guy grabbed hold of Alison and jumped into the water with his arms wrapped tight around her waist. Alison managed to struggle free but fell against the rocks and cracked two ribs.
As a lifeguard Alison says she has witnessed a lot of people taking risks and has had to rescue people out of pools and the sea “I just wish people would wise up…People don’t think, especially when they’ve been drinking…I also think swimming lessons should be made compulsory in schools.”
Alison O’Reilly presents The Inbox on 98FM Monday to Thursday 8pm – 10pm, with Paul Connolly. Alison is documentary maker and such as ‘Midnight’s Lost Child’ which told the story of the 200,000 street children living in Calcutta and 'My Heroin Hell, Rachael's Story' that was aired on Sky News in March 2007 detailing 27 year old Rachael Keogh’s drug addiction.
For more details contact:
Sinead Ni Chonaill, Fleishman Hillard
P: 01 618 8408 E: sinead.nichonaill@fleishmaneurope.com
Samantha Wadkin, 98FM
P: 01 6708970 E: samantha.wadkin@98fm.ie
