Two quick-thinking members of the force save a woman from drowning in the River Barrow

RENOWNED for his heroics on the football field, Rathvilly’s Brendan Murphy faced applause of a different kind over the recent bank holiday weekend.

The former county footballer, who is a member of An Garda Síochána, was involved in a lifesaving rescue from the River Barrow at Athy. At lunchtime on Saturday, 3 August gardaí received a call from a member of the public, alerting them that they had just seen a woman enter the river.

Garda Murphy, along with his colleague Crettyard-based Garda Colman Curran, were on the scene within minutes. The woman was in serious difficulty in the water, being carried quickly downstream by a strong current. Garda Curran entered the water and managed to hold the woman, treading water, while Garda Murphy retrieved a lifebuoy from the riverbank, working together to get the woman safely from the water and to the garda car, where she received medical help.

Additional garda support and members of the Ambulance Service quickly arrived, and the woman was brought to hospital for treatment, where she was expected to make a full recovery.

A post by the force on social media expressed pride in the pair for their bravery: ‘As gardaí, we’re trained to keep people safe, but we’re still all human and sometimes when we’re faced with a challenging situation like this one, they won’t always have this positive of an outcome. We’re immensely proud of Garda Colman Curran and Garda Brendan Murphy for their swift, brave and considered actions. It’s a job worth doing.’