Casual passers-by could have been forgiven for thinking there was a major incident in progress at the Black Bull on Wednesday as the car park of the popular watering hole was crammed with emergency service personnel and their vehicles.
In fact An Garda Síochána, Fire Service, Ambulance, Cú Chulainn Blood Bikes, Boyne Fishermen’s Rescue and many others were packed into the car park to witness the official launch of another Public Access Defibrillator installed by The East Meath Defibrillator Unit which is housed in an old style telephone box at the pub.
The East Meath Defibrillator Unit was established in 2012 to make defibrillators accessible to the community 24/7 and to provide free training to get everyone familiar with what to do if an emergency occurs.
The money for the new defibrillator and two others which are due to come on stream shortly, one in Ballsgrove the other in Yellowbatter, was raised by the 12,000 plus members of the Drogheda Dolls Facebook group which is run by Natalie Kelly and Ann O’Brien.
This was a fine example of a myriad of community organisations and individuals working together for the common good.
The Drogheda Dolls raised over €5,000 for the three defibrillators and cabinets while the Egan Family from the Black Bull Inn allowed the defibrillator to be installed at their premises and also to cover the cost of power and insurance for the unit.
This is a vital asset for the community but of course it is important that people know how to use should it be necessary. To that end, East Meath Defibrillators provide free training to anyone that is interested.
For more information about the East Meath Defibrillators or to arrange training contact the unit via their Facebook page or email: emdu2019@hotmail.com or emcru@hotmail.com
