Tag Archives: Padraic Flaherty

A SPECIAL documentary programme will be aired next Monday, September 12, remembering a much missed hero of Clare. The programme celebrating the life of Catriona Lucas, comes on the sixth anniversary of her death while performing her duties as a member of the Coast Guard. On September 12, 2016, the tragic news broke that a rigid inflatable boat had capsized near cliffs in a heavy Atlantic swell in Kilkee. As details of the incident became clearer, it emerged that the rib was an Irish Coast Guard search and rescue boat. The three Irish Coast Guard volunteers on board were thrown from the vessel into the sea. Two Kilkee-based members of the volunteer service were subsequently rescued during a major multi-agency operation however, news of the third person, Caitriona, from Liscannor, an experienced volunteer with the Coast Guard unit based in Doolin, was not so good. Caitriona was recovered unconscious from the water and airlifted to hospital as attempts were continued …

CLARE FM is to broadcast a documentary to celebrate the life of Lahinch native Míchéal “Mick” Ryan who was posthumously awarded Humanitarian of the year in December 2020. The documentary, airing Friday at 11am, looks back at Mick’s life from his early years and has been produced by Clare FM’s programme director Padraic Flaherty with support from Mick’s family. Mick dedicated his life to helping others through his work with the United Nations World Food Program. During his life Mick helped the most vulnerable and most in need, and during his career he travelled to Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Liberia, and the world’s largest refugee camp in Myanmar. On March 10, 2019, Mick was travelling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, when several minutes after take-off the Boeing 737 Max Aircraft crashed killing all people on board. Upon hearing the documentary for the first time Mick’s wife Naoise says “Padraic seamlessly weaves Mick’s story through conversations with people who knew Mick, …