'An inspiration' - Young tourist in cardiac arrest saved by three Gardaí on beat in Temple Bar

Three Gardaí are being praised for saving the life of a young tourist found unconscious in Temple Bar. 

According to An Garda Síochána, the incident occurred in the early hours of last Saturday morning when two probationary Gardaí and a Trainee Garda on beat patrol in Dublin City Centre were flagged down by members of the public. 

Garda Callum Hegarty, Garda Thomas Hayes and Trainee Garda Joe Stubbings immediately ran to the unconscious man and all three assessed that he was not breathing.

After calling for urgent assistance from emergency services, Garda Hegarty and Garda Hayes both began CPR while Trainee Garda Stubbings went in search of a defibrillator. 

He returned minutes later with the equipment and the three Gardaí took it in turns to perform CPR and get the person in position to activate the defibrillator in the hope of restarting his heart. 

Dublin Fire Brigade arrived and confirmed that the man was in cardiac arrest. 

He was subsequently taken to St. James Hospital where he was treated and continues to make a full recovery over the past week. 

An Garda Síochána posted about the incident on their social media, with almost 1000 comments commending them for their quick-thinking. 

One person commented, "Fantastic achievement gentlemen, you are a credit to the Garda force. God bless you and keep you safe" while another said, "Well done to all ye are doing a great job keeping us all safe, so proud of you all. Stay safe." 

Another person commented to say: "Well done lads, you are an inspiration for others to follow in your footsteps." 

The man was reportedly visiting Ireland on a city break having travelled from the Greater London area. 

All three Gardaí are attached to Pearse St Garda Station; Garda Hegarty took up his first post in An Garda Síochána just six months ago, Garda Hayes only very recently passed out and has been stationed in Pearse St for the past two weeks, while Trainee Garda Stubbings joined his new colleagues in the station about six weeks ago.