“Learn CPR. You never know when you might need it.”
That is the message from Dundalk woman and Irish Red Cross volunteer Sarah Barker after using CPR skills she learned through her training to save the life of her newborn son earlier this year.
In January 2026, just two weeks after her son Oisín was born, Sarah found herself in every parent’s nightmare when the baby suddenly stopped breathing during a late night feed at their home.
Sarah, who volunteers with the Dundalk branch of the Irish Red Cross, said she is sharing her family’s experience to encourage more people to learn CPR.
“If people take just one thing from our experience, please let it be this: learn CPR. You never know when you might need it,” she said.
It happened on a cold Saturday night during Oisín’s final feed before bed when Sarah realised something was wrong.
“At first, I was calm. I started giving Oisín back slaps, trying to dislodge whatever was caught in his throat, telling myself he’d cough it up and everything would be fine,” she said.
“But then it changed. So quickly. He turned blue. His little body went completely limp in my arms, lifeless. That’s when I realised, he wasn’t breathing.”
Sarah immediately told her husband Aaron to call an ambulance.
“I remember the panic hitting me all at once. We live in the middle of nowhere and my baby isn’t breathing. He’s going to die.”
Despite the fear, Sarah said her emergency training immediately took over.
“And then my training kicked in. Somehow, through the fear, I knew I had to stay calm. I had to help Oisín.”
Living in a rural area, Sarah and Aaron knew it would take time for emergency services to arrive, so Sarah began performing CPR using rescue breaths and compressions with two fingers.
“It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Every second felt like a lifetime. But in that moment, knowing what to do was the only thing that stopped me from completely falling apart.”
Thankfully, after around a minute, Oisín began breathing again.
“After about a minute, he started to get sick, I quickly rolled him onto his side and then I burst into tears because I was so relieved.”
“The relief was indescribable. I could stop the CPR, he was stable again and remained that way until the ambulance arrived.”
Oisín was taken to hospital by ambulance and discharged three days later, fully recovered and unharmed.
Sarah has been volunteering with the Irish Red Cross in Dundalk since 2015. During that time she trained in CPR, advanced CPR and also qualified as an Emergency Medical Technician.
“If it wasn’t for the skills I learned through the Irish Red Cross, I honestly wouldn’t have known what to do in that moment,” she said.
“I will be forever grateful to the Dundalk branch and the Irish Red Cross as a whole. Without that training, the outcome for Oisín and our family could have been very different.”
Sarah is now encouraging others to consider learning CPR through organisations such as the Irish Red Cross, Order of Malta or St John Ambulance.
“It’s a skill you hope you’ll never have to use, but it’s far better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,” she said.
“It’s something you will never regret learning. Please consider doing it, just in case.”
In 2025, under the leadership of Pat Sheridan, the Irish Red Cross Dundalk branch trained a range of different community groups including International Women’s Network, members of the Ukrainian community, Outcomers LGBT+ Support Service, local sports clubs, the Lion’s club, the Redemptorist’s Community and more, in Cardiac First Responder skills.
The Dundalk branch offers weekly first aid training, including CPR training, for its volunteers to allow them to practice their essential skills and work towards nationally recognised Pre Hospital Emergency Care Council qualifications.
Led by dedicated volunteer Pat Sheridan, the Dundalk branch initiated an innovative new pilot programme in 2025, a CPR primary schools training programme which was rolled out in six local schools, teaching sixth class students life-saving skills. In 2025, 250 students participated in the programme, a major step forward in empowering young people with practical knowledge that can save lives and strengthens local community resilience. This programme will be rolled out to more schools in the area this year.
First aid training is just one of the activities the Dundalk branch of the Irish Red Cross carries out in support of the local community.
- Its Youth section offers leadership development, humanitarian education and skills development for its young members.
- The branch works to promote inclusion and community wellbeing through a number of different initiatives and events including the Integration Café to help migrants feel welcome and settle into life in Ireland run in conjunction with Louth Volunteer Centre and Louth Local Development; a Traveller Mental Health day and a Senior Citizen Dinner Party.
- The branch also supports other local groups such as Dundalk meals on wheels, strengthening community ties and promoting wellbeing.
At the Irish Red Cross National Volunteer Awards in November 2025, the Dundalk branch was recognised with two awards. Isabella Nordon won Young Volunteer of the Year while Ryan Hayes, First Aid Unit officer won First Aid Unit Member of the Year.
For information on learning CPR visit www.redcross.ie and contact your local Irish Red Cross branch: Irish Red Cross Branches – 2024 – Google My Maps
