AN Post has today (Thursday) issued two stamps marking the Irish Coast Guard’s provision of search, rescue and monitoring services at sea, on the coast and waterways of Ireland. The stamps designed by Vermillion Design, are based on an original painting by the late Caitriona Lucas, who sadly lost her life in Kilkee while volunteering with the Coast Guard on September 12, 2016.
Members of the Irish Coast Guard and Bernard Lucas, widower of Caitriona, unveiled the set of stamps in the GPO while a Coast Guard team displayed the new stamps in Dublin Bay. The artwork depicts a rescue team working at sea, both in the air and on the water. The scene in the painting was divided into two stamps by Vermillion Design.
The Irish Coast Guard responds to maritime and inland search and rescue emergencies with its main objective to reduce the loss of life on lakes, waterways, rivers, sea and coastal areas. The brave men and women, comprising 65 full-time staff and 940 volunteers, selflessly assist on average 4,500 people, saving 200 lives and handling 3,000 maritime emergencies every year.
Gerard O’Flynn, National Manager of the Coast Guard’s volunteer branch welcomed the stamp saying that he was “Delighted with public recognition and particularly pleased that Caitriona’s work is being honoured in this way. We would hope that the Lucas family will take some strength from this recognition.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.