Six Irish Red Cross volunteers came third in Europe at the First Aid Convention in Europe (FACE) competitions

Olly Keegan, Ashlene Mackin, Jackie Connolly, Ian Martin, Orla Sheridan and Marie Lawless are all members of the Louth Area of the Irish Red Cross and represented Ireland at these First Aid competitions, having won Ireland’s Red Cross President’s Prize in 2009.

Mr. Tony Lawlor. Acting Chairman of the Irish Red Cross, congratulated the team and said that the achievements of the Louth Area highlighted the quality of First Aid services provided by Irish volunteers.

“The Irish Red Cross commends the team for their achievements on an international stage. They are a credit to the organisation and their country. Their win will raise the profile of the importance of First Aid skills in our daily lives. I wish all of them continued success in the future,” he said.

The First Aid Convention in Europe (FACE) is an annual event that brings together Red Cross volunteers from throughout Europe. It promotes excellence in "human behaviour" and competing teams demonstrate their competence in dealing with casualties in a caring, empathetic and professional way.

UK came first this weekend with Slovenia taking second place. The event showcased the very best skills in Europe. Every year over three million people in Europe are trained in First Aid by the Red Cross and this event highlights the level of expertise available across Europe.

Each team had to tackle a series of staged scenarios, all with mass casualties. Actors portray the casualties and the make-up is of theatrical standard and extremely realistic. Each casualty has a judge marking the response.

Olly Keegan (Team Leader) joined Dundalk Red Cross Cadets in November 1988. In 2009 not only did she lead the team to victory in the President’s Trophy, but also won the Dominic Nugent Senior Individual Competition on the same day. She was Chairperson of the Branch for several years and is currently actively involved in doing first aid duty with the Senior Unit.

Ashlene Mackin joined Henry’s Mob (a group for 8 to 12 year olds) in 1997. She previously was a member of the winning Cadet team in 2000 and won Volunteer of the Year several times in the Senior Unit. Her time is taken up between regular Tuesday night classes and her 2 year old son, Jack.

Jackie Connolly joined Dundalk Red Cross Senior Unit in April 2002. Jackie not only does First Aid duty, but also regularly drives the minibus for Red Cross Youth events. Jackie was leader of a Novice Team that came second in the All Ireland competition in 2005. She was a member of the Branch Committee for several years.

Ian Martin joined Dundalk Red Cross Henry’s Mob in 1995. He was a member of the Novice Team with Jackie that came second in 2005. Ian is actively involved in Red Cross Youth and was leader of the Cadet group for several years. He has been to several National and International Youth camps as both a leader and a participant.

Orla Sheridan joined Dundalk Red Cross Teddy Bears (a group for 4 to 8 year olds) in 1994. Orla was leader of a Cadet Team in 2005 that won the All Ireland competition. She has been actively involved in Red Cross Youth and attended two International Youth Camps. Orla was a leader in the Teddy Bear group for several years and currently is actively involved in doing first aid duty with the Senior Group.

Marie Lawless joined Dundalk Red Cross Teddy Bears in 1994. Marie won the Cadet Individual competition in 2005 and the Novice Individual in 2007. She was a Deputy Unit Office in the Cadet Group for several years. She has participated in three International Youth Camps and was a leader of the Teddy Bear group for several years.