An Independent TD has called for a statutory inquiry into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitríona Lucas off the Clare coast over seven years ago.

Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara raised the issue in the Dáil following the recent inquest, which returned a verdict of misadventure in relation to Ms Lucas’s death.

As Clare FM Radio reports, McNamara claimed those in government who failed to implement safety measures had much to answer for. The inquest heard how a recommendation in 2012 for a safety systems manager at the Irish Coast Guard was not put into place until two years after Ms Lucas’s death.

The inquest jury issued seven recommendations relating to equipment, safety and training. One of the inquest’s findings was that Ms Lucas was conscious in the water for 17 minutes, and that a second rigid inflatable boat owned by the Kilkee Coast Guard unit could have been launched and at the scene within ten minutes.

The Clare FM report is here

The Irish Coast Guard says it accepts the findings made in the inquest into the death of advanced coxswain Caitriona Lucas of its Doolin unit off the Clare coast in September 2016.

A statement by the Irish Coast Guard said it would “now take time to reflect on the recommendations” and described Ms Lucas as “a very highly regarded and valued member of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard who tragically lost her life in the course of duty”.

“We would like to extend our condolences to Ms Lucas’s family and friends on their enormous loss,” it said.

“We will now take time to reflect on the recommendations that have been made,” it stated and said that it was working to implement recommendations arising from two previous investigations into her death.

The jury of seven returned a verdict of death by misadventure and issued seven recommendations relating to Coast Guard safety, training, equipment and management at the four-day hearing, which concluded on Thursday before Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock court, Co Limerick.

In his summing up for the jury, Mr McNamara said it was “unfortunate” that her drysuit, which had filled with water, was not available for inspection by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) or its experts.

Mr McNamara said that “it is clear that if Ms Lucas’s helmet had remained on, it may have avoided the head injury that she sustained”.

Dr Teresa Laszlo, consultant pathologist, gave the cause of Ms Lucas’s death as drowning. A skull injury was a contributory factor.

Ms Lucas’s family was heavily critical of the Irish Coast Guard after the hearing, questioning why a 2012 recommendation to put in a safety systems manager was not implemented until 2018 – two years after her death.

The Irish Coast Guard said its “priority at all times is the safety of our volunteers who save the lives of others”.

“Following Ms Lucas’s death, both the HSA and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board have conducted reviews into the incident, and the Irish Coast Guard has worked to implement the recommendations stemming from both of these reports,” it said.

“The Irish Coast Guard is committed to operating at the highest possible maritime safety standards so that we support and protect our volunteers as they work to serve communities all around Ireland,” it said.

It thanked Mr McNamara and the jury “for the work and time they have dedicated to this inquest”.

A jury has returned a unanimous verdict of misadventure at the inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death of Irish Coast Guard advanced coxswain Caitriona Lucas off the Clare coast in September 2016.

The verdict was issued by a jury of four men and three women before Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock Court on Thursday evening.

Seven recommendations were also made by the jury in relation to safety management, training and equipment used by the Irish Coast Guard.

Ms Lucas (41), an experienced member of the Doolin Coast Guard and mother of two, died after the Kilkee Coast Guard Delta rigid inflatable boat (RIB) she was crewing on capsized during a search for a missing man on September 12th, 2016.

She was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life during a tasking.

Marine expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, had sought a verdict of unlawful killing.

However, Mr Simon Mills, senior counsel for the Department of Transport and Irish Coastguard, said “the verdict of unlawful killing was not one open to the jury on the facts of the case".

Attending the four-day full hearing, which had been preceded by two preliminary hearings in April and June, were Ms Lucas’s husband, Bernard, son Ben and daughter Emma, father Tom Deely, and siblings Padraig and Bríd, along with long time friend and former Doolin Coast Guard member Davy Spillane.

In a statement afterwards on behalf of the Lucas family, her son Ben said that “the Irish Coast Guard’s failure to have proper safety systems caused my mother’s death”, and “the minister in charge of the transport department in 2012 should be held to account”.

He said there were “critical lessons to be learned”, and the jury had made recommendations that should have been made seven years ago “to protect life”.

Ben Lucas said criticised the delay in holding the inquest, and said that “the preservation and production of evidence has been appalling”.

“Irish Coast Guard management, the Attorney General’s office and the Department of Transport did not act on a critical report in 2012 that instructed them to put in place a senior safety systems manager in the Irish Coast Guard that never happened, and my mother went to help others but was let down so terribly,” Mr Lucas said.

The hearing heard 28 depositions, including evidence that a recommendation for a safety systems manager at the Irish Coast Guard in 2012 was not implemented till 2018.

It heard that “interpersonal issues”, which had been reported to Irish Coast Guard management the previous March (2016), had led to a loss of experienced volunteers at the Kilkee unit – which meant “flanking stations”, including Doolin which Ms Lucas was a member of, were asked to help out.

It heard Ms Lucas was conscious in the water for 17 minutes after the Kilkee Delta RIB was hit by a wave and capsized in a shallow surf zone at Lookout Bay off Kilkee, and that a second RIB owned by the Kilkee unit could have reached the area to effect a rescue of all three on board within 10 minutes.

However, after Kilkee deputy officer-in-charge Orla Hassett called for that D-class rib to be launched, she had to requisition a privately owned vessel which rescued one of the three, Kilkee volunteer Jenny Carway.

Kilkee Delta RIB coxswain James Lucey, was rescued some hours later by the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter, which also airlifted Ms Lucas on board earlier and flew her to Limerick University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The inquest heard that the cause of Ms Lucas’s death was due to drowning, but a head injury which could have caused temporary loss of consciousness was a contributory factor.

Two State investigations have already taken place into Ms Lucas’s death, and three years ago the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) directed that no criminal charges would be brought arising from an HSA inquiry.

A separate MCIB report was critical of the Irish Coast Guard’s safety management system and outlined a number of systems and equipment failures in relation to the Kilkee unit.

Summing up for the jury at the inquest in Kilmallock, Limerick coroner John McNamara said it appeared there was a “brain drain” in relation to the Kilkee unit and some “confusion” about the command structure of the unit.

He said that Ms Hassett had put it “quite succinctly” that this was not relevant when three people were available to launch a second RIB to effect a rescue.

He recalled that evidence had been heard about previous recommendations, including those in an appendix to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) inquiry into Ms Lucas’s death relating to a previous incident in a surf zone off Inch, Co Kerry, in 2014.

He said that the Kilkee unit was not aware of those Inch recommendations, and he noted evidence from HSA inspector Helen McCarthy that there was no site-specific risk assessment of the area where the capsize occurred and no map of hazardous areas at the Kilkee station.

Mr McNamara recalled evidence being heard that the radar system on the RIB was not operational, one of its seats was not in commission, and the radio was not working.

He noted that British marine safety expert Nick Bailey had confirmed the equipment was suitable for use in Irish coastal areas, but there was an issue for the Irish Coast Guard with helmets coming off on impact.

Earlier, Mr Bailey said in evidence that the loss of helmets by all three Coast Guard crew after the Kilkee Delta RIB capsized “should raise concerns” with the Coast Guard in relation to their design and whether they were being worn correctly.

Mr Bailey confirmed that Ms Lucas’s drysuit – which the inquest heard earlier in the week to have been taking water when she was recovered - was not available for his inspection.

Mr Bailey told the inquest that he had examined Coast Guard safety equipment, including lifejackets, helmets and drysuits, at the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) on June 12th, 2017, nine months after the incident in which Ms Lucas lost her life.

The inquest had already heard that the HSA was unable to start its investigation until then, when it could establish it had a legal right to do so, and was only given access to one piece of Ms Lucas’s safety gear – as in her drysuit, which it was allowed to photograph only, and which was then disposed of in a skip.

Mr Bailey said that in his assessment, the drysuit and thermal clothing used by the Irish Coast Guard was “appropriate” for the type of work it was doing in Irish waters.

He said that while the type of lifejacket he had examined was a “reasonable compromise” between support and free movement, it would not necessarily keep an unconscious person upturned with a clear airway.

The inquest heard that this Mullion design of lifejackets has since been withdrawn by the Irish Coast Guard..

In his summing up, Mr McNamara said that “it is clear that if Ms Lucas’s helmet had remained on, it may have avoided the head injury that she sustained”.

Mr McNamara said it was “unfortunate” that her drysuit, which had filled with water, was not available for inspection by the HSA or its experts.

The coroner said that “we don’t know what the outcome would have been” if the Kilkee D-class RIB had been launched, but Mr Kingston had established from drone footage that there was a window of 17 minutes.

“Ms Hassett, an experienced volunteer, felt they could have attempted a successful rescue,” he said, and he paid tribute to her presence of mind and that of Garda sergeant John Moloney in requisitioning a civilian vessel which rescued Ms Carway.

“This occurred within an emergency situation, with a lot of pressure on everyone involved,” he said. He also commended those who had recorded the drone footage.

The jury of four men and three women issued seven recommendations related to safety, equipment, training and implementation of previous reviews.

Condolences were expressed to the Lucas family by the coroner, Gardai, legal representatives of both sides and the HSA.

The seven recommendations made by the jury at the Caitriona Lucas inquest are:

• Each Coast Guard station should take appropriate steps to ensure Irish Coast Guard volunteers are aware of relevant exclusions for Coast Guard vessels and where possible display same clearly at the base station;
• an immediate ongoing review of training of Coast Guard volunteers/staff should provide up-to-date training for capsize incidents;
• an ongoing review should take place of the suitability of all safety gear, including helmets, to ensure safety in operational conditions;
• there should be “urgent” implementation/education of all lessons learned and recommendations of all reviews into Coast Guard incidents;
• measures should be taken to ensure that all Coast Guard vessels are fitted with voyage data recorders;
• there should be establishment of an appropriate centralised safety management/portal for identified risk issues on a confidential basis;
• and the Irish Coast Guard should consider ongoing training for the officer-in-charge (OIC) and deputy OIC “as appropriate” at units.

As the inquest into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas continues, the court has heard how she was both fastidious and dedicated.

Health and Safety Authority (HSA) inspector Helen McCarthy told the coroner John McNamara and jury that she had seen Ms Lucas’s Irish Coast Guard logbook during her time with the Doolin unit.

“I have never seen anything quite so meticulous,” she told the Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock courthouse.

Simon Mills, senior counsel for the Department of Transport and Irish Coast Guard, said Ms Lucas was “an absolutely fantastic member of the Coast Guard”.

A senior officer with the Irish Coast Guard’s Kilkee unit told the third day of the inquest on Wednesday that its D-class rescue craft could have been on scene within ten minutes if she had the trained crew to launch it.

Orla Hassett, Kilkee Coast Guard deputy officer-in-charge (OIC) and a paramedic with the National Ambulance Service, also said that numbers in the Kilkee unit had dwindled so much that they had to seek help from “flanking stations” – including the Doolin unit, which Ms Lucas was a volunteer with.

Responding to questions from marine expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, Ms Hassett said she had informed Irish Coast Guard management the previous March (2016) of “escalating issues” which could affect rescue taskings due to “inter-personal” relations.

She said that Kilkee volunteer numbers had fallen from 30 in 2010 to 12 by 2013, and “four very experienced members” left in the weeks before the incident.

Ms Lucas (41), an advanced coxswain with Doolin Coast Guard and mother of two, died after the Kilkee Coast Guard Delta RIB she was helping out with as crew capsized during a search for a missing man on September 12, 2016.

She was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life during a tasking.

A consultant pathologist Dr Teresa Laszlo told the inquest that cause of death was due to drowning, but said that a skull injury which could cause temporary loss of consciousness could have been a contributory factor.

HSA inspector Ms McCarthy confirmed that her employer had to seek legal advice before it could start its investigation, which delayed it by nine months, and she did not have immediate access to Ms Lucas’s personal protective equipment (PPE).

The HSA was able to establish that a Coast Guard RIB was a place of work under existing legislation, and that the Irish Coast Guard has a duty of care to all its staff and volunteers.

PPE was given to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB ), which did permit her to photograph Ms Lucas’s drysuit but she could not take it in evidence, she said.

She did not see Ms Lucas’s helmet, and was sent a “cutoff” of the Irish Coast Guard logo from the drysuit by the Irish Coast Guard. The court heard the drysuit was disposed of in a skip.

Ms McCarthy said that no risk assessment had been prepared of the area where the capsize occurred in Lookout Bay, which can be affected in certain conditions by unexpected waves in neighbouring Intrinsic Bay.

She said her investigation also showed that there were ongoing issues with the VHF radio on board the RIB that capsized, the coxswain was not trained for this position, according to Irish Coast Guard records, and personal locator beacons worn by the three crew failed to function.

Ms Lucas had been conscious in the sea for 17 minutes after the capsize, the inquest heard earlier this week.

The inquest continues.

Read the Irish Examiner here

The continuing inquest into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas off the Clare coast over seven years ago has heard that she was conscious in the water for almost 17 minutes after the RIB she was crewing on capsized.

As The Irish Times reports, Clare Civil Defence member Stephen Hayes described how he flew a drone to try to get visuals on the three crew of the Kilkee Coast Guard RIB.

Two of the three were rescued. Ms Lucas, a highly experienced member of the Doolin Coast Guard who was helping out Kilkee on a search did not survive after she was airlifted from the water.

Hayes said that the time stamp on the video recording of the incident indicated that Lucas lost consciousness at 1.27.50 or almost 1.28 pm, which was almost 17 minutes after the alarm was raised.

Irish Coast Guard volunteer Gary Kiely told the inquest that the Kilkee Coast Guard Unit had been short of members at the time.

At a meeting three days before the incident, Kiely said he suggested approaching some experienced members who had left the unit to return.

He said that Irish Coast Guard manager Micheal O’Toole said he didn’t think it was necessary given the time of year but promised to revisit the issue.

Kiely said that local knowledge was also important as the tide could often come around the headland into Lookout Bay with swells breaking into high waves.

Martony Vaughan, who had stepped down as officer in charge of the Kilkee Coast Guard Unit on September 11th told the inquest he had driven with fellow Coast Guard member Rose Keane to the cliff tops overlooking the scene of the capsizing as soon as the alarm was raised.

Vaughan agreed with maritime expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, that there was no Irish Coast Guard presence on the water at the scene for a period until the Irish Coast Guard Shannon-based helicopter arrived at 1.38 pm and airlifted Lucas from the water at 1.41 pm.

Read The Irish Times here

As the full inquest into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitríona Lucas continued on Tuesday (28 November), two survivors of the RIB capsize off Co Clare which claimed her life have described how the three were tossed into the sea.

The Irish Independent reports that survivor Jenny Carway told the inquest that had Lucas’ helmet not been ripped off by a freak wave, she might have survived the incident.

Fellow survivor James Lucey told the full inquest held by Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock courthouse that the sea was “like a washing machine”.

As Afloat.ie reported, Lucas, a 41-year old librarian and mother of two, died after a Kilkee Coast Guard RIB capsized during a search for a missing man on 12 September 2016.

The highly experienced member of Doolin Coast Guard, who had been assisting the neighbouring unit at Kilkee in the search, was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life during a tasking.

When she was recovered from the sea by helicopter, having lost consciousness, she was not wearing her helmet, her lifejacket was not fully inflated and she had sustained an injury to her head.

The coroner and a jury of four men and three women were told that the Kilkee unit were short of volunteers for sea operations that day and had asked assistance from the Doolin unit.

The Kilkee RIB with Lucas, James Lucey and Jenny Carway approached Lookout Bay and Intrinsic Bay near Kilkee around 1pm on 12 September 2016.

The inquest was told that the crew had not been made aware of the fact that Intrinsic Bay could witness “peculiar” waves — and that vessels reversed into the inlet for safety reasons.

They were also unaware of any specific dangers posed by the waters involved, with sea conditions much better than the previous day.

Lucey said they were “moving along slowly” when they were hit by a wall of water and the RIB capsized. He was able to clamber onto a rock, was swept off, but then managed to reach a ledge in a sea cave which he was later rescued from.

He described seeing Lucas floating on her back with her face upwards, shouted to her to try to stand, and then saw her floating face down in the water when he looked again.

“Caitríona shouted ‘breaking wave’. I barely got to move my head around when I saw the water,” the newspaper quoted Jenny Carway as telling the inquest.

Carway managed to keep her helmet but the helmets of Lucey and Lucas had been ripped off by the force of the water. She described how her helmet was loose-fitting but she had used an inflatable bladder to tighten it and firmly adjusted the chin strap.

“It [the helmet] could have been the difference between her being here today and not,” Carway told the inquest.

Marine expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, put it to Carway that drone rescue footage which has been made available to the inquest shows what happened to Lucas without her helmet.

“Ms Lucas can be seen [on the drone footage] being struck by the boat and rocks, rendering her unconscious,” he said.

Read the Irish Independent HERE.

The Department of Transport has refuted claims by legal representatives for Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas’s family that it had attempted to obstruct the inquest into her death.

As The Irish Independent reports, the resumed preliminary inquest in Kilmallock, Co Limerick on June 12th was told that it was “staggering” that key evidence had not yet been provided to Ms Lucas’s family.

Doolin Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas died after a Kilkee Coast Guard unit RIB, which she was crewing on, capsized during a search for a missing man on September 12th, 2016.

Maritime lawyer Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, questioned the whereabouts of the helmet, life jacket and dry suit which were worn by Ms Lucas.

He also said that the family had not yet received audio and visual recordings of the rescue attempt.

Simon Mills, senior counsel representing the Department of Transport, refuted Kingston’s claim that a letter was sent from the department to the coroner, John McNamara, saying it wanted an inquest carried out in a certain way and that it would decide what evidence would be produced.

The coroner said he would write to the office of the Chief State Solicitor, who was also represented in court, requesting that all relevant evidence, including audio and visual recordings from the day, as well as any available drone footage, be provided to the inquest. It has been set for November 27th next.

Read more in The Irish Independent here

The family of Irish Coastguard volunteer Caitriona Lucas have asked that three former transport ministers, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, appear as witnesses at the full inquest into her death.

Ms Lucas (41), an Irish Coast Guard Doooin unit volunteer, died after a RIB attached to the Kilkee Coast Guard unit capsized during a search off the Clare coast on September 12th, 2016.

She was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose a life during a search operation.

At the opening of a preliminary inquest before Limerick city coroner John McNamara in Kilmallock court, Co Limerick yesterday, legal representatives for Ms Lucas’s family said that three former transport ministers had held responsibility for legislation which failed to establish an independent marine investigations body.

Maritime lawyer Michael Kingston asked Mr McNamara to call Mr Varadkar, along with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe, who served as transport minister from 2014, and Shane Ross, who took over the transport portfolio in May 2016, as witnesses.

Questions about the location of the lifejacket and helmet which Ms Lucas was wearing were also raised at the hearing.

Mr Kingston said that failure to set up an independent body for marine accident investigations had resulted in a European Court of Justice judgment being issued against Ireland in July 2020.

He said the State had failed to properly investigate an incident involving capsize of a rigid inflatable boat off Inch, Co Kerry in August 2014, which was similar in circumstances to the event which claimed Ms Lucas’s life off Kilkee.

This was criticised in the subsequent Marine Casualty Investigation Board report into Ms Lucas’s death, Mr Kingston noted.

A request by Mr Kingston to call board members of the MCIB was rejected by Mr McNamara, but he said that the MCIB report into Ms Lucas’s death would be admitted as evidence.

Mr Simon Mills, representing the Department of Transport which is responsible for the Irish Coast Guard, said that an inquest hearing “cannot be used as a collateral attack on the MCIB”.

Mr McNamara agreed that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), including inspector Helen McCarthy who conducted a separate inquiry into Ms Lucas’s death, would be called.

Audio recordings of communication between the Kilkee Irish Coast Guard unit and the Irish Coast Guard Rescue 115 helicopter was also requested by Mr Kingston, along with drone footage taken by Ennis Civil.

Mr Kingston requested that independent experts be sought in relation to Ms Lucas’s lifejacket and helmet.

He also asked the coroner to establish the location of both pieces of equipment, which “had gone missing”.

HSA inspector Helen McCarthy told the coroner in response to a question about the lifejacket that Hugh Barry, who was a senior manager with the Irish Coast Guard at the time, “be questioned on that”.

Mr Kingston requested a number of other witnesses to be called and reports to be produced.

Mr McNamara proposed that these be set out in written depositions which he would consider.

This would require a second preliminary inquest hearing, which has been set for June 12th, he agreed. A date will then be set for a full hearing which may take two to three days, the coroner said, noting he would not "rush" the hearing.

Mr McNamara expressed his sincere condolences to the Lucas family.

A date has been set for an inquest hearing into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas (41), over six years after her death off the Clare coast.

As The Irish Examiner reports, the Limerick coroner’s office has confirmed that the hearing will take place at Kilmallock courthouse, Co Limerick, on April 12th.

Ms Lucas, a mother-of-two, librarian and highly experienced volunteer with the Irish Coast Guard’s Doolin unit, died after a RIB attached to the Kilkee Coast Guard unit capsized during a search operation on September 12th, 2016.

She was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose their life during a tasking.

Ms Lucas’s husband, Bernard told journalist Gordon Deegan that it was “about time” that an inquest date had been set.

“I welcome it because by the time the inquest is held in April it will be six years and seven months,” Mr Lucas said, stating he did not know why there had been such a delay.

Maritime lawyer Michael Kingston had also recently described the delay in setting a date as “shocking”.

As Afloat has previously reported, two separate investigations were completed some time ago into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Maritime lawyer Michael Kingston

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report was published in December 2018.

Two years ago, Ms Lucas’s husband, Bernard Lucas, was informed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that no criminal charges would be brought after a separate investigation by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

The MCIB report was critical of the Irish Coast Guard’s safety management system, and catalogued a number of systems and equipment failures in relation to the Kilkee Coast Guard unit.

However, Mr Lucas said that he “very disappointed” that the published MCIB report had failed to address questions over equipment his wife was wearing, and both he and members of the Kilkee Coast Guard unit queried the location given in the report.

Mr Kingston has also criticised the MCIB report into Ms Lucas’s death, and has called for a re-investigation.

Read more in The Irish Examiner here

Six years after Caitriona Lucas became the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to die during active service, a documentary is due to be aired on Clare FM Radio today, September 12th, on her life.

“Caitriona was a hero...she should always be remembered,” programme director Padraic Flaherty has said of the hour-long documentary, which was made with the support of Ms Lucas’s family.

Ms Lucas (41), a librarian, mother of two, and advanced coxswain from Liscannor, Co Clare, had offered to help out the neighbouring Irish Coast Guard Kilkee unit in a search for a missing man on September 12th, 2016.

She hadn’t expected to go to sea, but the unit was short a crew member. She died after the Kilkee rigid inflatable boat (Rib) capsized in a shallow surf zone. Two other crew members survived.

Two years ago, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided that no criminal charges should be brought in relation to the incident after a report was forwarded to it by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA).

The unpublished HSA report was one of two separate investigations. The second report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) proved so contentious that it had to be published in two parts, and the responses to the draft were longer than the report itself.

Ms Lucas’s husband, Bernard, who was one of a number to raise questions about the MCIB report, told Clare FM that the new radio documentary was very emotional for him to hear.

However, he said it also recorded many positive memories of his late wife.

“There was a laugh in it... and good memories,” he told Clare FM last week.

Saying “no” to any request for help “wasn’t an option” for his late wife, Bernard noted, recalling her commitment to the Irish Coast Guard and Search and Rescue Dog Association.

He said he hoped people would realise how rewarding it is to give back to the community.

Padraic Flaherty said it was a great privilege to put the documentary together, and credited Bernard with providing him with contacts for family and friends.

Flaherty said he didn’t think anyone in the county and country would ever forget September 12th, 2016, when Ms Lucas lost her life.

“Caitriona was a hero...she should always be remembered,” Flaherty said.

“Catriona Lucas, Fearless” airs on Clare FM’s Morning Focus this Monday morning, September 12th from 11 am.

Listen to the preview of the documentary on Clare FM here