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Lifebuoy in the Valley Park, Kilcullen. © Eugene Brennan |
I've just been thinking about these. There are three lifebuoys on the west bank of the river: one at the low section of river bank near the bridge, another further up opposite the canoe club building and the third is on a section of river bank that's high above water level, just before St. Brigid's Well. There aren't exactly any points near the river to safely throw the lifebuoys without slipping. For the middle buoy, the slope is steep and slippery and there's just a small muddy patch near the water's edge. The grass here seems to be flattened, possibly from people making their way down to the edge to fish or to allow dogs to swim in the river. Or perhaps KCA have cut the grass for access. This section of the river as far as I understand it, up as far as the bend adjacent to St. Brigid's well is dangerous, deep and with strong currents, the location of the so called "Sally Hole", where the fast flow probably scours out the river bed. For the lifebuoy up near St. Brigid's Well, which is on high ground, there's no access to the river.
Would it be a good idea to have simple steps down to the water's edge, similar to the steps that were put in place near St. Brigid's between the upper and lower trails? Maybe some gravel could be put into a cut out section of the river bank, although that would probably be washed away by floods. Or possibly concrete pads/a strip could be installed? Would that have unforeseen consequence and encourage people to congregate near the edge and start jumping into the river to swim, where it's dangerous?
A trail/boardwalk close to water level along the west bank of the river would be nice as a future project, similar to the river walk in Ballymore Eustace, and that would provide access. However we saw what happened to a similar structure on the Camphill Farm and Nature Trail. Landslides I guess could be a potential problem though. Decades ago, there was a good view of the river from the region of the park up near St. Brigid's Well. That's now largely obscured by trees and other vegetation.
Responsibility for deployment and maintenance of lifebuoys is shared between local authorities and Water Safety Ireland.
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Lifebuoy near St Brigid's Well with no access to river. © Eugene Brennan |
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Access to river near middle lifebuoy. The slope is almost 45 degrees here. © Eugene Brennan |
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River Walk in Ballymore Eustace. © Eugene Brennan |