This week, The Avondhu sat down with the three newest recruits to the fire service in Mitchelstown, James Connolly, Ger O’Keeffe and Opp Yubolwat, as Fire Safety Week takes place once more across the country.
All three men live locally, an essential requirement of joining the brigade as when the pager goes off, its ‘tools down’ to respond to the call out. The new recruits include a mechanic, a massage therapist and a chef, all of whom need to be at the beck and call of the emergency calls. At 20, Mr Connolly is the youngest and newest recruit, a mechanic with K&D Motors in town. He joined in July 2024 shortly after 45-year-old Ger O’Keeffe, a chef in O’Callaghan’s, who joined the service in June. Meanwhile, the third of the recruits, 29-year-old Opp, joined last September; the 29-year-old works locally as a massage therapist in Siamease on Upper Cork Street.
The three men’s journey to the service read very different, but in each case their interest in the service was already established long before they joined. For James, it was ‘years ago’, when Bob Dalton and Verling Fitzgerald (both of whom are still with the brigade) visited the local youth club and evidently, made a lasting impression. Returning home after a time in Australia, James applied on the principle that ‘you’re never too young’.
Coverage in this week’s Print & Digital Edition
