A CO Carlow woman was presented with an award by Water Safety Ireland last week for saving a boy's life 36 years ago, when she was just 15 years old.
Tina Kavanagh, a native of Graignamanagh, received the award in recognition of saving David Browne, then aged 13, from drowning when he got into difficulty while swimming in the River Barrow on a summer's day in 1985.
Tina Kavanagh and her sons, Pauric and Eoghan
“I dived down into the water, but I couldn't see him. I had to resurface and go back down again. Then I saw him, deep, deep down in the water. I dived further down, grabbed his hand and got behind him. I grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up, up out of the water to the surface. It was a miracle that I found him, I couldn't believe that I found him"
Seiko Just in Time Award
Tina was presented with a Seiko Just in Time Award, as well as a Seiko watch, at a virtual awards ceremony on Tuesday evening.
“I'm so pleased to receive this certificate from Water Safety Ireland. When you're 15 years' old, you don't think about what you've done, you get get on with it. Now, this is bringing it all back ... what happened that day. It's very emotional,” said Tina.
Tina was nominated for the award by the man she saved as well as her two sons, Pauric and Eoghan.
“I nominated mam because she really deserves it. She saved someone's life! It's lovely to have the certificate and for other people to know what she's done,” said Pauric.
River Barrow
The River Barrow in Graignamanagh is a well-known swimming spot, but it's also wide and very deep in places, so local people tend to stay close to the banks unless they're very strong swimmers.
The river Barrow is beautiful but has hidden dangers in its murky depths
One afternoon during the summer of 1985, Tina and her friends were having a picnic on Maher's Hill by the river when she heard someone calling for help. As she ran to the river, fully dressed, she saw a boy called Podge in the river, screaming that his friend David had disappeared under the water.
Podge and David had been swimming across the river to the far bank, to a place called the Devil's Eyebrow, when David got into difficulty.
“I still had my clothes on, but I ran and dived in and swam out to where Podge was. He was screaming and David had already gone down at that stage. The water is very, very deep where he was. I can't explain how dark and deep the water is in the Barrow. It's impossible to see anything and I didn't have any goggles on either,” said Tina.
Deep, deep down in the water
“I dived down into the water, but I couldn't see him. I had to resurface and go back down again. Then I saw him, deep, deep down in the water. I dived further down, grabbed his hand and got behind him. I grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up, up out of the water to the surface. It was a miracle that I found him, I couldn't believe that I found him,” she continued.
“I kept talking to him as I swam back and I got him as far as the Devil's Eyebrow. He'd taken a lot of water at that stage and was very quiet and pale. Later I went home and told my parents what had happened and they hugged me and told me what a great thing it was to do.”
Though Tina was nonchalant about what had happened that day, she now realises 36 years later what a huge feat it is to save a person's life.
Heroic actions
When David nominated Tina for the award, he paid tribute to her heroic actions in a letter to Water Safety Ireland.
'My family could have lost a son and a brother,' said David in the tribute. 'I have sons and a daughter myself now, none of whom would be alive if I wasn't. I owe her my life and realise that even more now while putting it all to paper. Thank you, again, Martina for what you did for me and mine on that fateful day.'
Tina stresses that even though she is a strong swimmer, no-one should take the water for granted and that swimming is a life skill that everyone should have.
“A river has no mercy, no matter who you are. It only takes one step to be out of your depth. I think that everyone should learn how to swim – you could save your own life, let alone someone else's,” said Tina.
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