River safety event to attract large crowds to Athlone Boat Club on Sunday

Kevin O'Neill

A river safety demonstration is among the events taking place as part of the 2026 Athlone River Safety Awareness Day this comign Sunday, March 15.

Hosted by the volunteer-led Athlone River Safety Awareness group in conjunction with Athlone Sub Aqua Club, Athlone Boat Club and the RNLI, with the support of the Athlone River Festival Committee, the events are due to kick-off at the Boat Club (Ranelagh, Athlone) on Sunday at 12noon with a rowing demonstration by members of the Boat Club between the Town Bridge and the Railway Bridge.

Cllr Aengus O'Rourke, a member of the River Safety Awareness group, said that will be followed by river safety demonstrations at the Boat Club, where members of the public are invited to learn about the various life-saving equipment installed outside the Boat Club premises.

“This is always a very popular and well-attended event, and has been running successfully since 2018,” said Cllr O'Rourke.

“We would invite all members of the public to come along and learn about the equipment which includes life-jackets, defibrillators, communication devices, torches, and our river safety remote control robot. These are among the many forms of equipment we have invested in to ensure we give people in trouble in the water the best chance to survive,” he added.

Cllr O'Rourke said that Athlone and the midlands region has lost too many people to the water in the past, but that all the bodies involved in this weekend's event are doing everything they can to reduce the loss of lives on the Shannon. Athlone Sub Aqua Club and the RNLI Lifeboats will also be putting on demonstrations on the day, and there will be live music provided by Féilé na Sionainne. Tea and coffee will also be provided to those attending.