Abbeyfeale school receives inaugural CPR award

Thursday 3 May 2018

A secondary school in Co Limerick has become the first recipient of the inaugural Irish Heart Foundation CPR 4 Schools Special Recognition Award.

The award was presented to Coláiste Íde agus Iosef in Abbeyfeale last month in recognition of its exceptional efforts in training students in CPR.

The Irish Heart Foundation presented the award to the school’s principal Liam Murphy and its CPR 4 Schools coordinator and teacher Diarmuid O’Connell (31), who himself suffered a cardiac arrest in 2009.

Munster Rugby players Andrew Conway, Rhys Marshall and Sam Arnold were on hand to celebrate the win and they also participated in a CPR demonstration with 1st year students

With more than 700 students, Coláiste Íde agus Iosef was acknowledged for its efforts in creating the next generation of life-savers within the school and promoting CPR in the wider community of Abbeyfeale.

Laura Hickey Irish Heart Foundation said: “We are delighted to award Coláiste Íde agus Iosef the first special recognition award, it’s school like this that will make a significant impact in creating the future generation of lifesavers. Schools are an ideal setting to reach all young people to help reduce the incidence of premature death and disability from heart disease and stroke which is Ireland’s number one killer. CPR is a lifesaving skill that everyone can learn, this programme is available to every post primary school in Ireland, equipping young people with the skills and confidence to perform this CPR. Coláiste Íde agus Iosef, has done tremendous work in creating awareness and taking the fear out of lifesaving.”

The CPR 4 Schools programme is supported by Bank of Ireland and aims to create a new generation of 360,000 CPR lifesavers in every community in Ireland by the end of 2019. To date, 289 schools in every county across Ireland have been trained.

The Irish Heart Foundation’s expert CPR 4 Schools team delivers training via education centres to post-primary teachers who are then provided with an online programme which can be taught in the classroom.

The Irish Heart Foundation also provides schools with free kits worth €600 which contain training manikins to encourage crucial hands-on practice.