A 16-year-old boy who rescued two boys aged 11 from the Boyne river has said, “I am just happy there was a positive outcome”.
Callum Keane also said he went to help them because he would want someone to do the same for his younger sisters.
The teenager from Navan was out for a walk with his girlfriend on Wednesday evening.“I could hear a group of boys in great distress... screaming for help as one of their mates was in distress in the centre of the river.”
Callum, who has younger sisters Chloe (12) and Amelia (8) said, “my first thought was to help the boy because I know if that was one of my little sisters I would want somebody to help them”.
“I immediately took off my top and jumped into the river to swim across to the boy. He was shaking and very distressed. I grabbed him and picked him up and swam against the current with him to try find an opening as there were reeds all along the bank.”
The boy was able to show him where he had got into the river and, Callum said, “I went in through a gap where there was another boy who was stuck in the reeds attempting to try to help his friend.”
“I pushed the reeds down to help him get over them, I carried the boy over to a wall and pushed him up onto it. He was very shaken but him and his friends were very grateful which made me feel great.”
“After I helped them I swam back across the river back to my girlfriend where I was met by Christopher Rennicks of Meath River Rescue who was first to the scene.”
Christopher liaised with the other emergency services and then dropped Callum home.
Speaking after he returned home last night, Callum said, “I didn’t realise until I came home this evening how dangerous that spot was and how brave I was to jump in.”
The youngster’s phone was “hopping all night with people contacting me.”
Callum said, “I’m just really happy that I could help the boys and that nothing serious had happened to them and I am just happy there was a positive outcome to this whole situation.”
His mother Claudine said, “I am very proud of him and am delighted the two boys are safe.”
“Callum came in and he was shocked and shaking but he played it down. He said it was all grand, he did not think it was as big a deal but a teenager would not realise how valuable two lives are.”