Cork beach lifeguard team seeking new recruits to cover relief hours ahead of busy summer
Last summer, Cork county’s lifeguards reunited 23 children with their parents across Cork beaches, a figure which was up on 15 in 2021.
With lifeguards reuniting 23 children with their parents on Cork beaches last year, Cork County Council’s beach lifeguard team is looking to set up a supplementary panel of beach lifeguards to cover relief hours this summer.
As lifeguards oversee the safety of the public in the water around the county’s coast, the council is asking anyone who has a current beach lifeguard qualification and who is over 18 to contact caroline.casey@corkcoco.ie.
Speaking to The Echo, Ms Casey thanked members of the public for all of their assistance over the long weekend.
“We are delighted to thank the public for their co-operation over the weekend, and we would encourage people to always swim at a lifeguarded beach,” she said.
The motto of beach lifeguards this year is once again “Holding Hands Saves Lives”, which makes sense following the news that last summer, Cork county’s lifeguards reunited 23 children with their parents across Cork beaches, a figure which was up on 15 in 2021.
Parental supervision and vigilance are key in keeping children safe on a day out in any water environment, the lifeguard team said.
Inflatable boats, beds and toys are unsafe to use on open water due to Ireland’s temperate climate, together with strong and changeable winds throughout most of the summer.
With this in mind, Cork county beach lifeguards ask parents and guardians to always swim at a lifeguarded waterway and not bring inflatable toys to the beach, where it is unsafe to use them.
Starting this weekend, the beach lifeguards will raise their red and yellow flags to indicate when they are on duty between 10.30am to 7pm daily.
They will be on duty weekends in June, full-time in July and August and the first two weekends of September, with the last day of duty September 10, 2023.
Cork County Council’s beach lifeguard teams will be on duty at Youghal, at Front Strand, Claycastle and Redbarn, Garryvoe, Fountainstown, Inchydoney, Owenahincha, The Warren, Garrylucas, Garretstown, Tragumna and Barleycove Beaches.
Due to the unavailability of staff, some locations may not operate at certain times, with up-to-date information on lifeguarded beach available on Cork County Council beach lifeguards Facebook page.
Cork County Council wishes to remind everyone, especially children, of the importance of learning the flag system at the beach.
• A red over yellow flag means the lifeguards are on duty.
• Swim between the red and yellow flags close and parallel to the shore as this is the area that the lifeguards are patrolling.
• A red flag indicates that swimming is not advised.
• Black and white chequered flags mark the area for surfing only.
Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins, asked that all swimmers familiarise themselves with the flag system.
“As with every other summer season, our beach lifeguard service has resumed,” he said.
“While we promote water safety rigorously every year, this year we are also reminding members of the public to please respect the water, leave inflatable toys at home, supervise children when they are in the water, and, finally, enjoy our beautiful beaches.”
Cork County Council chief executive Tim Lucey praised the work of the county’s lifeguards.
“Our lifeguards provide a wonderful service in terms of water safety, but they are also available for any first aid events and are ready and willing to help, so please do not hesitate to contact them for any assistance.”
For further water safety information, daily updates on conditions and flags flying at each beach, visit the Cork beach lifeguards page on Facebook.
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