National Civil Defence marks 75 years and Westmeath's Brian marks 50 years of service

The Civil Defence turns 75 this year, and members are celebrating the almost eight decades of frontline service across the country. The Westmeath branch will also mark the 50th anniversary of Westmeath Civil Defence officer Brian Gillen’s service.

The organisation was founded in 1951, responding to the end of WWII and the threat of nuclear war. As it is an almost solely volunteer-based organisation, the Civil Defence relies on communities, and assist those same communities.

Its role varies, but mostly it will assist the local areas Principal Response Agencies, which include An Garda Síochána, the HSE and other local authorities.

Members assist at accident scenes, in missing person searches, at parades and sports events, and in overall emergency responses.

In Westmeath, the organisation has responded to the floods that regularly happen in Athlone, had a presence at both the Fleadh Cheoil in Mullingar in 2022 and 2023, and was active in the local Covid response.

Brian Gillen said: “Being a volunteer with the Civil Defence is like anything else – it evolves over time.

“It changes all the time. For instance, when I first started, we were essentially a wartime organisation focused on nuclear threats and the Cold War, but over time we steadily evolved into an organisation that helps within the community.

“We are a much more professional organisation these days, our equipment and vehicles are all state of the art and they are certified and checked.”

Asked for standout memories from the last 50 years, Brian said: “There so many different things that stick out to me, I’ve been at this for so long, there’s so many.

“One of my fondest memories is caring for Bosnian refugees during the war in the ‘90s, which was our first contact with people from another country.

“Then in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when Dublin had a lot of social problems, we helped out the homeless in the city.

“Since 1994, we have been taking part in the International Military Pilgrimage alongside the Defence Forces in Lourdes, I’ve done that 29 times now and I love it.”

Although it is a rewarding role, it can also be dangerous, as the Civil Defence are often frontline workers.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Civil Defence was tasked with helping the HSE in the battle to slow the spread of the virus.

Reflecting on that period, Brian said: “Covid landed out of the blue one morning for us, it created work and dangers that we hadn’t experienced before.

“We were tasked with transporting swabs, and we had people who were actually vaccinators.

“It was dangerous work, we were actively endangering ourselves because we were on the frontline and constantly mixing with people.

“In my experience over the last 50 years, I have to say that was the most dangerous operation we ever undertook because there was no protection there for us.”

In 2023, Westmeath Civil Defence officially opened a new HQ at Lough Sheever Corporate Park, which stores equipment including ambulances and cars.

Brian said: “The council bought the building for us in 2019, and we love it, it’s our headquarters and it’s our vehicle depot, but most importantly it is all ours, and it’s essential.

“Before we had this, we had some portable buildings in Cullionbeg, and before that, we were in rented places around Mullingar, but it was just brilliant for us to have this new building.

“We have been slowly developing it over the last five years and it’s in a great spot now at the moment, we are proud of this building and it looks good.

“It’s only right that our volunteers have a nice building to come to, that they feel happy in and to know that they are looked after well. If we need to become a modern organisation, we need modern facilities as well.”

Mullingar man and proud Civil Defence volunteer Andrew Clinton, spoke of what the benefits are of being a volunteer, saying: “It’s great for your mental health, but also, it’s one of the best organisations around for giving an individual discipline, and it provides equal opportunity for everyone involved.

“We get training in all different types of things, like radio dispatch, basic naval training with boats, and military-style training.

“It really opens your mind to new things and keeps your head fresh, you’re never stuck at one thing, you’re constantly learning and evolving.

Andrew described how happy it makes him when the community is thankful for the work volunteers do: “Just recently, a man shook my hand when I was in the shop, telling me how thankful he was for the work that we do.

“It doesn’t matter where we go, people are always so thankful to us, even when we go out to duties outside Westmeath, and it just makes the work so much more valuable to me, to know that you truly are helping people.”