Athlone man given major honour at Ireland’s first Blue Light awards
By Rebekah O'Reilly
Athlone's Morgan Fagg has been named Youth Champion of the Year at the Republic of Ireland's first Blue Light Awards.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, August 15, at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4, hosted by Alan Shortt and Pamela Ballantine MBE.
The awards honour the dedication, bravery, and professionalism of the incredible individuals and teams in Ireland’s blue light and frontline services keeping Ireland safe every day.
The scheme has been modelled on the Blue Light Awards that have been held in Northern Ireland since 2024, now expanding recognition to the southern part of the country for the first time.
Morgan was honoured for his work with Water Safety Ireland. He previously served as PRO of its Westmeath branch, and has been Chairperson there for the last three years.
"I was honoured to be nominated for such a prestigious award, but was very surprised when my name was actually called out on the night," he said.
"It was the first category of the night which made me the first person to ever receive an Irish Blue Light award, and I will be keen to encourage others to nominate people locally who deserve recognition for the important work that they do.
“There are no small roles in any voluntary organisation, but I was surprised to see my contribution recognised as Volunteer of the Year 2025 with Water Safety Ireland and now with a Blue Light award.
"I've been involved with Water Safety Ireland for over 20 years, and I was delighted my parents were able to join me at the award ceremony, as they have been involved with Water Safety for almost 50 years where they started teaching swimming to adults as soon as they learnt to swim themselves, and my family has volunteered to teach lifesaving at Swim Week all my life."
He noted that he does a lot of promotion locally in regard to water safety, as well as attending monthly Water Safety Ireland meetings.
"I am always quick to volunteer to do something or to highlight national campaigns with the local Water Safety Area Committee in Westmeath. I see myself as more of an administrator locally and was surprised by the recognition but I do try to make a splash whenever I can and gain attention for all the work that is done locally to teach and train new lifesavers.
"It was great to see Water Safety Ireland winning an award, as many people involved in emergency services might have started their careers learning lifesaving skills with WSI, and I encourage everyone in Athlone to encourage friends and family to learn to swim and learn lifesaving skills."