Calls Intensify for Canal Safety Measures Following Teenager Max O'Connor's Tragic Death

Tuesday, 14 May 2024 10:48

By Martin Osborne

Max got into difficulty in the water in The Grand Canal Between Ardclough And Celbridge.

There has been a call for more safety measures to be implemented around canals to prevent children from using them as swimming pools.

It follows the tragic drowning of 15-year-old Newcastle teenager, Max O'Connor, who died at around 5pm on Saturday after getting into difficulty in the water in the Grand Canal Between Ardclough And Celbridge.

Cllr Trevor Gilligan said it is not unusual to see children swimming in the canals.

He claimed that there has been no major push or proposal from the Government to highlight the dangers.

He said Max was well-liked and known throughout the area and that his death has prompted widespread shock and distress among residents.

"These canals aren't swimming pools. They are deep and dangerous," he said.

He said there is an urgent need for more prominent signage and an awareness campaign to prevent children using them for swimming.

"I do recall, like, going through the years when the sun comes out and it's a sunny day, you would see kids jumping in, going for a swim," he said.

He added: "They're not a safe place for anybody to go to be going swimming. And I would be calling on local councils, Irish waterways and the Minister for Environment to put a plan and proposals in place to make sure that people are aware of how dangerous these canals can be. We need a campaign to alert people not to go near the locks because they're not swimming pools, they're not bodies of water that, you know, we should be encouraging people to go swimming in."

"I can't imagine what the parents are going through and the family at this moment in time. He had his whole life ahead of him," he said.

Trevor said he is aware of another tragic drowning incident that happened in the canals along Cappaghmore a number of years ago.

Friends of Max have been paying tribute to him across social media.