Offaly Firefighter Martin retires after almost 27 years of service

CLARA based fireman Martin Buckley, has retired from Offaly fire and rescue service following almost 27 years of service to the community.

Known locally as Blackey, Martin has fond memories of his time with the service in Clara.

''I was with them 26 years and six months,'' he said. ''You have to retire at 60. I was a bit sad going as I made some great friends down through the years. But I will get to spend more time with my grand kids,'' he said.

Friends and colleagues held a double celebration for Martin last weekend in Nigel's place in Clara, to mark his retirement and to celebrate his 60th birthday. It was a night to remember for Martin and his family.

Martin attended thousands of fires over his years as a firefighter. ''There used to be around 100 fires a year, but that went down to 60 or 70 in recent years. There are less chimney fires now as the new houses have no fireplaces and people are generally more careful. In the early stages there were also a lot of bog fires, around 30 or 40 a year but in the last few years it was down to 11 or 12,'' he said.

Martin's most most memorable fires include the night the Bridge House in Tullamore caught fire and he was there for most of the night. The other was Glenisk in Tullamore, which he said started during the day but continued into the night.

He also attended the scene of a number of accidents and worked alongside paramedics to help people escape from their vehicles safely. However, some were not so lucky and he was at the scene of some fatalities. ''You couldn't move off the road, you had to keep the scene for forensics,'' said Martin.

Martin was sometimes called to duty on a Christmas Day. '' You might be just sitting down to your dinner and you would have to go,'' he recalled.

To celebrate his birthday and retirement his family organised a holiday in Budapest.

Martin had been to Budapest before and thoroughly enjoyed it. The family asked him if it was somewhere he would like to visit again and he said he would. Then they surprised him and his wife Jacinta with the holiday. 12 family members went on the trip.

Martin has three children two girls and one boy. His son Gary has followed in his footsteps and is a member of the Offaly fire and rescue service.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Denis Canty, paid this tribute to Martin.

''Martin Buckley, Clara served as a Firefighter with Clara Fire Brigade from 17/06/1996 until his retirement on 26/02/2023.

Martin was a great asset to the service and his enthusiasm and experience will be greatly missed. His service showed his commitment to his community and to Offaly Fire & Rescue Service.

Martin’s experience was invaluable in bringing the next generation of Firefighter up to speed quickly as is evident in the Clara crew at present.

We wish Martin health and happiness on his retirement and thank him for his 27 years of service to both Clara Fire Brigade and his community.''