Beating Hearts - Wicklow

29/09/2025

Today is World Heart Day❤️

A day to shine the light on the thousands of people and families impacted by heart disease and stroke.

Tonight, buildings across Ireland are lighting up in their honour.

Will you join us and light a candle this World Heart Day?

It can be a tribute to someone you love, a celebration of your own heart health, or personal reason.

World Heart Federation

29/09/2025

Saw this post this morning from Greystones CFR and it gladdened my heart to see the message/ awareness for residential defibrillators being highlighted with the stats you all need to see - again. Get in touch with Greystones CFR if you are in the Greystones area, or get in touch with Beating Hearts if you need information or contact details for Community First Responders in your area. Do take action to have a defibrillator installed near to where you live and see if there are any demonstrations or training that your residents groups can attend. Whatever you do, don't be complacent thinking it can never happen to you, or to your family, a cardiac arrest can happen to anyone of any age! For your own safety and that of your family get involved, speak with your neighbours and friends and do whatever it takes to put a Defibrillator close to your home. We hope you'll never need it, but should you need one, it may just help save a life.

🚨 2024 Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Stats Are In 🚨
At our annual responder conference, the numbers were clear:

🇮🇪 2,885 cardiac arrests in Ireland last year where resuscitation was attempted

💔 Survival to hospital discharge still only 8%

🙌 84% received bystander CPR + over 4,000 trained CFRs

👉 Despite all this incredible effort, outcomes remain stubbornly low. Why?
Because the single most effective intervention is early defibrillation.

⚡ AEDs save lives. They should be as common as fire extinguishers.

💶 Cost is no longer a barrier (units under €1000).
🛰 With GPS tracking, automated self-checks & instant alerts, AEDs have never been smarter or easier to maintain.

❓Most arrests happen in the home. Is it time to rethink access to AEDs in every community?

Get in touch with me/Greystones Community First Responders to discuss our minutes matter campaign and how we can work together to install AEDs throughout Greystones and surrounding areas.

09/08/2025

This morning my daughter Sophie held a free Pilates event in aid of the Irish Heart Foundation - outdoors with beautiful view from Black Castle over Wicklow Harbour. Sophie is also running in the Dublin Marathon in September. She is raising awareness and funds in memory of her dad. If you'd like to donate see the link below - please share with friends and family.
https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/SD69305131

10/07/2025

As you all know the concept of residential defibrillators being available closer to homes, is really resonating with people. Spread the news about Beating Hearts Wicklow and that Greystones has now followed Wicklows lead so that other towns across Ireland are inspired to do the same. In Wicklow there are over 21 residential estates with their own defibrillators. Every residential community should do this to ensure they have ESSENTIAL Emergency Defibrillators within 3 mins of home. Why? Over 72% of all cardiac arrests that occur outside of hospitals happen in the home! Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, of any age, even babies and children. Protect yourselves and your loved ones - install a Defibrillator in your communities. A cardiac arrest is a devastating, catastrophic event s and a Defibrillator could be the difference in surviving and saving a life. Please share.

09/07/2025

06/07/2025

Congratulations to Greystones on installing your first residential defibrillator and on your campaign to install residential defibrillators in all estates in Greystones. Great to see that another town is following the lead of Wicklow Town who now have over 20 residential defibrillators - which provide vital emergency equipment to residents in the event of a catastrophic cardiac arrest in their communities. To all other towns in Ireland, get organised and do the same for yourselves. Why? Over 72% of ALL cardiac arrests outside of hospitals happen in the HOME. 72%. That's huge! So do what's necessary to protect yourselves so that there is easy access to a community defibrillator within 3 minutes of your homes and learn CPR. Also - ANYONE can use a Defibrillator- it prompts you. Follow the lead set by Beating Hearts Wicklow who got the ball rolling in Wicklow Town and now by Greystones and post your news here so we can encourage every town in Ireland to install residential defibrillators. Well done Greystones.

Bringing an AED to every Greystones estate…

05/07/2025

Delighted to see that Greystones is now following the lead of Wicklow and have their campaign for residential defibrillators well underway. Congratulations. For all of you in other towns across Ireland you too can get your own residential defibrillator campaigns going. Just remember "over 72% of all out of hospital cardiac arrests happen in the HOME" No time to delay, organise today.
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Bringing an AED to every Greystones estate…

14/06/2025

Good news, Beating Hearts keep making progress and new residential defibs being allocated to 10 new estates in Wicklow within the next two weeks, confirmed by Cllrs Paul O'Brien Graham Richmond who continue to work with Beating Hearts to keep bringing more on stream. Beating Hearts are also following up on the motion which was submitted to the Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien over 4 years ago, and which was raised in Seanad Eireann by Senator Mark Wall and which was sent to the Dail which seeks to bring in an obligation for all property developers to install defib devices in all new housing developments throughout Ireland. This is frustratingly slow, so we request your help and support - contact your local representatives and request that they work to bring this motion into reality. Having a defib in every housing estate will ensure that life saving equipment is close by where YOU live in the event that someone you love or you yourself have a catastrophic cardiac arrest and may save a life - giving someone a second chance at life. 72% of all out of hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home! Write and contact your local representatives to help support the roll out of residential defibrillators. It's more urgent than you may realise.

Delighted to be able to present a new defibrillator to Ashford first responders this morning with my colleagues Cllrs Shane Langrell & Graham Richmond. We were also joined by Myrtle & Chris from Beating Hearts, who continue to be the main drivers in advocating for defibs in housing estates & beyond.

Great credit to the First Responders as well who are all volunteers & do tremendous life-saving work. Finally, my thanks to the Municipal District for arranging the new batch of defibs, which we will be distributing to housing estates in the coming weeks. ❤️

11/05/2025

Please share

08/05/2025

Hello everyone. We have some very good news. Broomhall Developments have installed a Defibrillator for residents of Waverley and adjoining estates. It is located on the creche wall and it has already been registered with the NAS. (National Ambulance Service). A letter has been sent to all residents by Broomhall Estates management informing them that anyone who would like to register their interest in receiving training to call the number given on the letter. Please do call so that Beating Hearts can set this up for you. Work by Beating Hearts with developers is ongoing. We have another developer in West Wicklow who has installed a solar defibrillator and will update you shortly.
We are still waiting for an update on the defibrillators promised for 2024 by WCC and understand that Cllr Paul O'Brien is due to make an announcement on this any day now. maybe you could update everyone.

15/02/2025

https://www.rte.ie/news/leinster/2025/0215/1496825-community-first-responders/

Twenty years after the idea was first mooted in a Co Wicklow village, Ireland's network of community first responders is now made up of 4,000 volunteers in more than 300 groups nationwide.