The theft and vandalism of Cork City’s lifebuoys has been a longstanding problem, but what is even more bizarre is the reason people steal them — including as souvenirs or to use as firewood to keep warm on a cold day’s fishing.
Cork City Council employee Colin Russell is the man dedicated to protecting as many lives as possible through his rigorous checks of the River Lee’s city stretches.
The river has 200 lifebuoys lining its banks, which need to be replaced on an ongoing basis due to thoughtless interference and vandalism.
Each missing lifebuoy significantly increases the chances of river deaths, which understandably adds to pressure on people like Colin.
He said that while at least one lifebuoy a week is used to save a life, many others are stolen or damaged.
Colin spoke to the about the demands of his job during a walkabout of the city.
He is literally following in the footsteps of his father Jim, who retired from the same role 18 years ago.
He recalled hearing about the similar struggles his father faced when it came to lifebuoy thefts.
“He often saw people trying to steal them and confronted them about it, which is something I would never do myself,” Colin revealed.
“There were fewer lifebuoys back then. Sometimes, as a child he took me around with him while he went about his work.
“It taught me to respect the lifebuoys in Cork, and that respect spread to my friends too. Even though we all did silly things when we were young, we never would have dreamed of interfering with something that had the potential to save a person’s life.”
That vandalism continues to this day, resulting in an annual spend of €20,000 for Cork City Council.
An average of 25 lifebuoys were dumped in the River Lee every month last year — meaning more than 300 in 2024.
Colin said things are improving slowly, but he can still find himself dealing with a loss of up to 10 lifebuoys in a single week.
These setbacks are undoubtedly frustrating for the team, but the Cork man refuses to let them hinder his productivity.
“I’ve often been in the Lee Fields where the small ones in the yellow boxes were set alight by people who were there fishing,” he said. “Other times they just burnt them while drinking, maybe to keep warm.
“Some people take them as souvenirs to hang up on the walls of their houses and bedrooms.”
The city council worker said that mental health issues sometimes play a role in people’s behaviour.
“In the last few months, I was checking the lifebuoys by the Christy Ring Bridge near Cork Opera House when I went to replace a lifebuoy. It transpired that one woman had thrown 16 lifebuoys into the river — one after another.
“Thirty-two lifebuoys went missing that weekend, and it was all down to one person. We reported it to Gardaí and they were able to identify her from CCTV footage. She was known to them for having severe mental health issues. When she was throwing away the lifebuoys, she wasn’t in her right mind, which was quite sad.”
Helpful members of the public in Cork City, as well as Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery, have been a huge support to Colin.
“People will tell me they have lifebuoys to drop into me that they have found. The Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery in particular have been great.”
He says that many people in Cork city are extremely protective of the lifebuoys.
“There was one fella shouting after me when he saw me walking with a lifebuoy. I thought it must have been a buddy of mine, but when I turned around there was this man asking me where I was going with it.
“He thought I was a passer-by who had stolen a lifebuoy, so I had to explain to him that this wasn’t the case and this was my job.
“It was good to know that people care enough to watch out for stuff like this.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Scully from Cork City Council’s Parks and Recreation department — who joined his colleague Colin and the on the walkabout — outlined the actions they are taking to curb irresponsible behaviour around lifebuoys in Cork City.
“PE teachers from Cork secondary schools have got in touch with us in the last year or so because they want to add a new element to the PE programme in their schools,” said Stephen.
“We have given them lifebuoys so students can learn how to throw and retrieve them. This also reiterates the importance of respecting lifebuoys. It’s really important that they get used to the weight of them, as the lifebuoy can sometimes fall short of its target or even end up hitting the recipient.”
Stephen had an important message for the public about river safety.
“If you are throwing away a lifebuoy, then you are throwing away a person’s life. That life could be your sister’s or your brother’s, but needless to say every life is valuable.”
