Ireland’s frontline emergency and defence services are being honoured today with parades, static displays, and public events taking place across the country as part of National Services Day.
Celebrations are happening in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Wexford, Kilkenny, Naas and Drogheda, giving the public an opportunity to meet the people behind the uniforms.
The main event is taking place at Dublin Castle, where visitors can enjoy a meet-and-greet with service members, along with impressive static displays in the Upper and Lower Yards, showcasing the equipment and expertise of Ireland’s frontline services.
Speaking to the Ireland's Classic Hits Radio, the National Services Day board member, Owen Medland, says it's a chance for the public to say thanks: ""We are celebrating, commemorating and most importantly we are inspiring the next generation of youth to come into service and showcasing what good citizenship looks like. We have 22 state state-involuntary organisations, everything from the Irish Defence Forces to the Order of Malta."
The event is also marking two major anniversaries this year: Water Safety Ireland is celebrating 80 years, and the Civil Defence is recognising 75 years of service to the Irish public.
CEO of Water Safety Ireland, Dr Joanne Walsh, says it’s a huge milestone: "What we are here for is the promotion of water safety and the prevention of deaths by drowning so just to put this into context, if we look for example in the 1980's, drownings per year in Ireland were up in the 200's. But now, I'm delighted to say that on a 5 year average we are down to 116."
At some point in their life every Irish person has been helped by frontline, emergency and security service staff. The National Services Day has become an important occasion to honour their hard work and commitment — and to recognise the role they play in keeping communities across Ireland safe.
