Knockcroghery teen honoured for lifesaving rescue at National Garda Youth Awards

Nineteen-year-old Knockcroghery native Cormac Petrie has been honoured for saving the life of a young swimmer who had gotten into difficulty in the Hodson Bay area of Lough Ree earlier this year.

The National Garda Youth Awards were held on Saturday, November 16, and saw Cormac being singled out for the 'special recognition' award as a result of his courage and quick action.

The rescue, which took place in April of this year, began when Cormac noticed a distressed swimmer floating in the water in an unresponsive state at Hodson Bay. Reacting quickly, he calmly resuscitated the young woman.

He then reassured her parents, and stabilised her until the ambulance arrived.

A citation issued on behalf of the Longford Roscommon Garda Youth Awards said Cormac had shown maturity beyond his years during the incident.

The 19-year-old is currently the youngest member of the Roscommon Civil Defence Unit, and volunteers as the First Aid Responder to the St Dominic’s under-18 football team, the under-10s footballers, the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association and the Camogie Association, as well as local fun-runs, concerts and boxing competitions.

His outstanding voluntary track record is one thing, but he goes about all his work with a dedication, charm and easy-going nature that has been described as remarkable by all.

Cormac’s commitment to providing first-aid hasn’t just saved a life, it has benefitted the entire Roscommon community enormously.