A SQUAD of Limerick officers put the ‘community’ in Community Gardaí when they helped get a traditional Chinese row boat used by a group of sea-faring cancer survivors back in ship shape and into the Shannon waters once again.
The helpful community officers went the extra mile when they received a call for help from the Limerick Dragons to aid in transporting their traditional dragon boat, which had fallen into disrepair after years of loving use and had to be taken from the Shannon over safety concerns.
Community Garda John O’Sullivan, of Henry Street Garda Station, who is himself a longtime expert in water safety, took it upon himself to rally his fellow community officers to help get the boat back on the water.
Garda O’Sullivan told the Limerick Post that when Henry Street received the call from the Limerick Dragons to help move the boat for repairs, he knew that he could do them one better.
Going all the way to Cork to retrieve some heavy duty cleaning supplies, the Henry Street officer and his colleagues went to work with the Dragons stripping off years of wear and tear on their racing boat – aptly titled ‘Serenity’.
Formed in 2016, the Limerick Dragons are a group of breast cancer survivors and supporters well known to all familiar with the city’s quays and waterways for rowing proudly up the Shannon in their traditional Chinese dragon boat.
They meet regularly to board the 40-foot racing boat, which has the added benefit for cancer survivors of restoring bodily strength and helping reduce the chances of lymphedema.
When asked by the Limerick Post about the community officer’s motivation in helping give the Limerick Dragons back their sea legs, Garda O’Sullivan said “we live in these cities too, we want to be involved”.
After the initial mammoth task of flipping the 400-kilogramme boat, the Henry Street Garda says he was able to help assess the damage to the boat and what work needed to be done.
Following six weeks of loving labour, with some help from Limerick Marine Search and Rescue, the Limerick Dragons and the Serenity were back on the water good as new, and they invited Garda O’Sullivan and the community team to join in on the first dip back in the Shannon.
One member of the 39-strong Limerick Dragon crew, Amanda Jordan, thanked Garda O’Sullivan and the Henry Street team for helping out.
In 2021, Amanda found herself diagnosed with breast cancer. Following her last treatment session almost a year later, she found herself asking: “What next?”
Enter the Dragons.
“I had two surgeries and I had chemo and radiation. So when I got out through all that, I was like, you know what, I’d like to kind of meet up with other people who have some idea of what I’ve been through,” Amanda told the Limerick Post.
Amanda found a place of comfort and solidarity on the Shannon waters, paddling with her fellow Limerick Dragons, all pulling together in towards the same goal of recovery and community in the traditional Chinese craft.
According to Amanda, a diagnosis like hers can make you “look mortality in the face”.
“It’s kind of like, do I want to be sitting around every evening or do I want to be just getting out and doing different things, meeting new people, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, all those sorts of things.”
For Amanda, being a Dragon brings companionship and fun, but also a place where people with similar struggles can band together.
Though despite being brought together by difficult circumstances, founding member of the group Brima Hayes O’Connor says “we don’t dwell on it”.
“We all have gone through it and everybody has been touched by it. Everybody on board has been touched by cancer, in some way or another, either directly or indirectly. We don’t want to dwell on this, but we do know in our hearts and souls that we’re all there for each other.”
The Limerick Dragons are open to anyone to join, including male breast cancer survivors, with Amanda explaining that the group is looking to increase its membership.
“We’re all inclusive. We just really want people to come on board and get the benefits that we get,” she says.
To learn more about the Limerick Dragons and how to become a member, visit limerickdragons.ie.
