Hook Head event shines a light on coastal emergency services and water safety

Crowds gathered at Hook Head, County Wexford, at the world’s oldest lighthouse for a Shine a Light campaign on May 3. The event aimed to increase awareness and “shine a light” on emergency services, especially those operating along the coast. Attendees of all ages interacted with first responders from An Garda Síochána, RNLI, and Irish Coastguard. The day also included family entertainment such as kids’ fun and games and market stalls. Organisers planned a larger event next year, involving more lighthouses across Ireland and potentially Europe. The initiative sought to become a national event through Great Lighthouses of Ireland, supporting lighthouse tourism and water safety awareness.

"Crowds gathered at the world’s oldest lighthouse at Hook Head, County Wexford on Sunday, May 3, as organisers have initiated a campaign to draw awareness and "shine a light" on the emergency services, but particularly those who operate along the coast."

"The Shine a Light campaign welcomed crowds of all ages to engage with members of the various emergency services organisations such as An Garda Síochána, RNLI and Irish Coastguard, while there also plenty of other entertainment from kids fun and games to market stalls available on the day."

"“There was great interaction between the first responders and the people who came on the day, and we're already planning for a bigger event next year as we want to get other lighthouses involved, not only across Ireland, but in Europe, which is all in our efforts to raise awareness about water safety.”"

"“We're trying to make it a national event through the Great Lighthouses of Ireland (GLI), and we think it could be really great because Ireland is setting the standard across the world for lighthouse tours, which means we're paving the way for lighthouse tourism,” he said."

Read at Irish Independent