Emotional pub staff who saved the life of one of their favourite elderly customers, only a month after learning CPR, revealed they burst into tears on hearing of his recovery.
Staff at the Round O Pub in Navan, Co Meath have been praised as heroes after the 82-year-old suffered a heart attack at the bar last Sunday.
Employees say they cried openly when they received a call on Wednesday that the much-loved regular was now out of a coma and recovering well in hospital.
READ MORE : Met Eireann issues high temperature warning as Ireland to sizzle close to 30C
Manager Ross Penny at the Round O Pub in Navan, Co. Meath said the staff were distraught when the valued customer suffered a heart attack at the bar because they had "such a connection to him."
"The bar was full of people having food last Sunday at 5pm when I spotted 'Jack' outside coming to the door," said Ross.
"We hadn't seen him in a while so it was great to set eyes on him but I thought he looked clammy and was slurring his speech so I walked inside after him.
"He hopped up on a stool and was full of chat so I thought it must have been the heat affecting him.
"About 30 minutes later, I was on my break and received a call to say he had collapsed on the ground and didn't appear to be breathing.
"The man's colour had drained from his face and he was in cardiac arrest."
Amazingly the team's recent knowledge of CPR kicked in immediately.
"The chef Eddie Xavier started compressions straight away while Sarah McCabe prepared the defibrillator.
"On the first go, the colour came back into Jack's face and I think we all breathed a sigh of relief. We really thought he was gone.
"We continued with the First Aid treatment, which was very strenuous, until the ambulance arrived about 45 minutes later and the paramedics told us that only for us, he would not have made it. To be told that was quite humbling to know that we were able to do the right thing.
"The customers were amazing, even though I'm sure it was upsetting for them. After the incident we were all so distraught that we closed.
"Only for we had a scary incident about a month ago which prompted the training, I don't know if we would have had the same ending.
"About a month ago, a lady almost choked on a piece of bread in the restaurant and gave us a bit of a fright so thankfully the owner Maria Kelly arranged for us to take a course in First Aid and CPR with Medicore Medical Service."
Ross, who didn't sleep until he got the good news of the man's recovery said the staff then made sure to locate Jack's dog and get him properly cared for.
"We all know Jack and we know his story so there was an even bigger connection there. When we did the CPR, it was extra emotional for us because it was him.
"We knew he had a little dog so started ringing all the relatives looking for a spare key to the house. We finally got the dog who is being looked after by a neighbour.
"I hadn't slept a wink since Sunday. Every time I closed my eyes, I thought what if I pressed that button on the defibrillator and it had killed him.
"All the staff worked as a team and it was so emotional that when we got the call on Wednesday to tell us he was out of a coma and sitting up in the bed looking for his phone, we all burst into tears."
Siblings Maria Kelly and Mark Keenan, owners of the Round O, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, have praised their staff as heroes
"We are so, so proud of every one of them. Little did we know when we arranged the CPR course that the training would be used to save a life. They all acted calmly and quickly and they are all heroes in our eyes."
READ NEXT:
Expert sounds winter blackout alarm as Ireland 'least prepared' for winter energy crisis
Drivers warned not to press button in car as it increases 'fuel usage by 20 percent'
Money expert urges people to turn on heating now so they can save in winter months
Man hospitalised as gardai called to Irish leisure centre after row breaks out
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
