Three men who died in two sea rescues have been posthumously awarded Deeds of Bravery medals at an emotionally charged ceremony in Leinster House.
Cork men Peter O'Keeffe (36) and Jonathan Herlihy (23) drowned after they went to the assistance of struggling swimmers at Owenahincha Strand in west Cork last year and Michael Heffernan (40), a volunteer diver from Mayo, drowned while rescuing a family from a sea cave in 1997.
The men's families travelled to Dublin yesterday to pick up their loved ones' gold medals which were awarded by Comhairle na Mire Gaile - the Deeds of Bravery Council.
The council was established in 1947 to provide for suitable recognition by the State of deeds of bravery.
Mr Herlihy's parents, Liam and Eileen, his younger brother Christopher, his grandmother Elma Lotty and his grandparents Frank and Mary Herlihy were at the ceremony yesterday.
Mr O'Keeffe was represented by his father Reg, fiancee Anne Riordan and three of his sisters.
Mr O'Keeffe was a director at the family business, Celtic Fuels Ltd on the Link Road in Cork city. His wedding to Ms Riordan was scheduled to take place in February.
Mr Heffernan died while saving a family of four whose boat capsized at Belderrig in Mayo on October 25th, 1997.
He was a member of the Gráinne Uaile Sub Aqua club in Ballina and was the first voluntary rescue diver to die in a rescue operation.
Since his death, Mr Heffernan's action has been recognised by the award of the Carnegie Hero Trust Medallion, by a bravery award from the RNLI and by the Dr John Igoe Community Award.
In I999 his wife Anna Marie accepted the Michael Heffernan Memorial Gold Medal, which was presented by then minister for the marine, Dr Michael Woods.
The award was instituted by the Department of the Marine to be awarded to those who display exceptional valour while taking part in an Irish Coast Guard co-ordinated mission.
A life-sized bronze statue of Mr Heffernan was also unveiled at tiny Lacken Pier in Mayo in October 2000. Mr Heffernan is survived by his wife and their two children, Leigh Anne and Michelle.
Thirty-three bravery medals were handed out at yesterday's ceremony in Leinster House at gold, silver and bronze level.
Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon presented the medals in recognition of outstanding acts of bravery.
Silver medals were awarded to:Geoffrey Taylor; Hugh Trainor; Demitrios Paraskevakis; Tony Paget; Brian Connolly; Mr Vidmantas Krinevicius; David Skinner; Capt William O'Meara; Peter Farrelly and Francis Delaney.
Bronze medals were awarded to:Tom Maher; Jim O'Sullivan; Tony Dunne; Maurice Colbert; Anne Marie Histon; Andrew O'Driscoll; Michael O'Connor; Leslie Ruddock; David McCarthy; PJ Kavanagh; David Ind; Gerry Campion; Peter Burke; Ruth Doyle; Mark Mullen; Lorcan Dignam; Michael Fitzgerald; Michael Murtagh, and Eddie Mackle.