More than a dozen people were awarded National Bravery Awards in Dublin on Friday after they risked their lives to save others over the past two years.
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghail TD presented 17 individuals with the awards at a ceremony at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park on Friday afternoon.
The annual honors are awarded by Comhairle na Míre Gaile (the Deeds of Bravery Council), which was founded by the Irish State in 1947 to recognize outstanding acts of bravery.
A total of 17 Certificates of Bravery were awarded at Friday's ceremony, while nine Bronze Medals for Bravery and Six Silver Medals for Bravery were also awarded.
Recipients of the awards represented 11 different Irish counties, while four recipients were from Virginia, USA.
Ó Fearghail said on Friday that the awards celebrate "the noblest impulse within a human being".
"The deeds we honour here are exceptional acts of bravery. They mark the moments where people saved the lives of others through their actions, risking their own lives doing so," the Ceann Comhairle said.
"What these awards celebrate is the noblest impulse within a human being, to risk their life in order to save another. We honour people who leaped into stormy seas, who braved swollen rivers, climbed down cliffs, assisted at road traffic collisions and performed other remarkable deeds.
"Through their actions there are people alive today, who would undoubtedly have died.
Ó Fearghail also paid tribute to the daily acts of bravery displayed by doctors, nurses, and other first responders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Today we rightly acknowledge the brave acts of heroism that our honoured guests have performed. But it also a day for remembering and acknowledging the very many acts of bravery carried out day in and day out throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"However small or big those acts were and continue to be, collectively they contribute to keeping us all safe during an unprecedented time in our lives."
To read a complete list of the acts of bravery that earned the awards, click here.
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