Artist turns lifesaving aids into water safety awareness campaign

Joan Finnegan glanced out the window of the Corrib Tearooms in the city when she noticed a lifebuoy overlooking the River Corrib as families ambled by.

A mad thought suddenly struck her – how lucky was this lifebuoy to be situated in such a picturesque corner of the city.

She immediately went outside and photographed every lifebuoy she could see, capturing 70 of them over the course of that day, from the Long Walk, the Claddagh and all over the Prom.

“I know it sounds cracked but I could see personalities in them all. The image of yellow and red is so pretty. They’re just lovely – these little guardians of the waterways,” she mused.

A personal assistant to a solicitor for the last 34 years, Joan enrolled in a degree in art and design at the GMIT five years ago.

For a college assignment, she decided to use the image of the lifebuoy to create pieces of art – some of them were collages, more were paintings, others were manipulated photos, another is made of lego.

“I started seeing them everywhere – anytime I saw yellow and red. I was obsessed,” she laughed.

In all she created 20 pieces inspired by the lifebuoys. She then used the images to design her own greeting cards.

It was one of these cards that was spotted by Roger Sweeney, deputy CEO of the Galway-based Irish Water Safety.

He commissioned ten of the images to be included in a postcard to raise awareness about the dangers of stolen lifebuoys which will be distributed nationally.

“Some people simply don’t consider the potentially tragic consequences of vandalising ringbuoys which have been so crucial in saving dozens of lives nationwide,” explained Roger.

“We designed the ringbuoys to be used to effect a rescue but they also act as a constant visible reminder of the dangers that the aquatic environment presents yet, even so, some irresponsible members of the public vandalise these lifesaving appliances, particularly late-night revellers under the influence of alcohol.”

There were nine drownings in Galway last year – seven of them in the county. The total number of people who died in the water across the State was 122, eight more than in 2014. The average number of annual drownings over the last ten years is 133.

“Each figure in the analysis, be it accidental, suicide or of undetermined cause, reflects a preventable tragedy that affects so many lives,” he mused.

Irish Water Safety has introduced a water safety curriculum for primary schools in which children also learn how to throw a lifebuoy.

“In time and as these children grow older, we hope that the training they receive will instill a sense of responsibility for these devices so that they only come out of the box when needed to save a life,” remarked Roger.

Joan, who celebrates 30 years of marriage this week to Galway Bay FM CEO and broadcaster Keith Finnegan, begins her final year of study in September. Her experience as a mature student has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I’m so passionate about art now. I always said I wasn’t doing this degree to get a hat on my head, rather it was for the experience of it and it will definitely be in my life in some form or another,” the mother of two enthused.

“When I’m in college I put my all into it – this year was hectic as we had a thesis. The mature students are the ones who sit at the front with the spare pens and say ‘sorry what did he say?’ We’re so focused.”

She moved on from lifebuoys to a series about the Blackrock Diving Board, completing 50 pieces in all about the iconic Salthill structure. She will spend the summer on the lookout for a suitably interesting subject to hone in on for her final project.

“Somebody said to me recently ‘six years – how could you study for that long?’ But sure I would have lived those years anyway. And look at what it’s given me.”

The cards are on sale in Irish Water Safety’s head office on The Long Walk for a suggested donation of 50c. The proceeds will be put into Irish Water Safety’s primary school curriculum.