The Irish Coast Guard has reported an 12% increase in the overall number of incidents coordinated during 2021.

And among these, the search and rescue agency saved 474 lives over the course of the year — though tragically 68 lives were lost to drownings, according to its end-of-year statement.

The coastguard said its biggest increases were recorded in April, with 249 incidents in comparison with 139 in April 2020, and in July with 469 incidents, compared with 339 for the same period in 2020.

From September onwards, activity was similar to 2020. The total number of incidents coordinated is expected to reach 2,970 in comparison with 2,665 in 2020.

In the key category of “lives saved”, which is defined as “assistance provided that prevented loss of life, severe risk to life, or protracted hospitalisation”, the coastguard recorded 474 individual responses in the course of 2021.

The agency highlighted the rescue of seven crew members from a fishing vessel off Kenmare Bay on Saturday 27 March, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Four of the crew of the Waterford-based coastguard helicopter Rescue 117 were recognised in the National Bravery Awards last month, with winch operator Sarah Courtney receiving a silver medal for her actions amid exceptionally challenging conditions.

Irish Coast Guard director Eugene Clonan said that since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the key challenge has been to ensure the 24/7 delivery of coastguard SAR services.

These services comprise the three rescue coordination centres, volunteer units around the island and the contracted helicopter service, along with the RNLI and community inshore rescue service and the support of the Naval Service and Air Corps.

“We are indebted to the men and women that make up our SAR community, for the discipline and commitment they have demonstrated in facing the challenge presented by Covid and in maintaining service availability throughout the year,” Clonan said.

In addition, the coastguard says it was was notified of a total of 68 drownings in 2021, which is seven fewer than in 2020. The agency says it works closely with Water Safety Ireland (WSI) in monitoring drowning risks and trends, and supports WSI in compilation of drowning statistics.

The coastguard thanks the public for their cooperation and support during the year, including the “positive response” in adhering with severe weather warnings, “and extends best wishes for a safe 2022”.

If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast, use marine VHF Channel 16 or dial 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Fethard RNLI joined Kilmore Quay’s coastguard unit in a multi-agency operation to rescue local residents trapped in their homes by heavy flooding on Christmas Day, according to RTÉ News.

It’s reported that a number of people in the village of Bridgetown were safely removed by lifeboat, while motorists who were either cut off by the flooding or trapped in the water were also assisted.

Wexford Civil Defence and Wexford Fire Service also joined in the rescue effort on Saturday 25 December, as Kilmore Quay Coast Guard acknowledged on social media.

Heavy rainfall delayed the arrival of the Waterford-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 — and was also responsible for the erosion of bridges near Enniscorthy due to the swelling of the River Borough (Boro), a tributary of the River Slaney.

In a statement, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said his department “will provide full support for Wexford County Council and other councils as they address and repair the damage caused by the flash floods”.

The Irish Coast Guard is appealing to all mariners and coastal communities to be mindful of the severe weather warnings and to note the imminent arrival of Storm Barra.

The coastguard is also appealing to anybody considering any form of coastal or open water recreation to be mindful of the risk posed by forecasted Storm conditions.

Walkers are advised to avoid any exposed areas, including seafront and cliff walkways, as they may be hit by sudden gusts, exposing themselves to unnecessary danger.

All other forms of open water recreation should be avoided, including by experienced practitioners, as it may result in arousing public concerns and causing rescue services to be alerted.

A small craft weather warning is already in place and Met Éireann is forecasting that gale to storm force southeasterly winds will extend to all coastal areas from early Tuesday, veering west to northwest in direction later.

As reported earlier on Afloat.ie, winds are forecast to reach Violent Storm Force 11 on Irish coastal waters from West Cork to Galway. The combination of southeasterly winds, spring tides and low pressure provide for an increased risk of localised flooding.

Coastguard operations manager Micheál O’Toole appealed to the public to remain vigilant, to avoid any unnecessary travel and to monitor Met Éireann weather forecasts.

“Remember: stay back, stay high, stay dry. If you see somebody in trouble on the water or on the coast, dial 112 or use marine VHF Channel 16, and ask for the coastguard.”

Members of Courtown/Arklow Coast Guard were recently presented with medals of tenure, as the Gorey Guardian reports.

And chief among them was Benjamin Murphy, who was recognised for his 40 years’ service prior to his recent retirement.

“Pulling off 40 years of service is nearly impossible to do and it’s a massive achievement as a volunteer,” David Swinburne of Courtown/Arklow Coast Guard said.

The Gorey Guardian has more on the story HERE.

A crew member on a Spanish fishing vessel who fell ill with a suspected stroke was airlifted in an operation off the South West Coast on Thursday (2 December), as TheJournal.ie reports.

The Irish Coast Guard’s Shannon-based helicopter Rescue 115 was called to the vessel some 80 nautical miles off Castletownbere for the medevac on Thursday afternoon.

Due to poor weather in Cork and Tralee, the casualty — once winched aboard — was flown to Shannon Airport for transfer by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for further treatment.

Rescue 115’s winchman on the deck of the Spanish fishing vessel for the medevac on Thursday | Credit: Rescue 115/Facebook

“Many thanks to the crew of Rescue 01, an Irish Air Corps Casa maritime patrol aircraft that provided top cover for us,” the coastguard team said in a statement on social media.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

Kieran Mulvey has been appointed as a mediator to attempt to resolve the Doolin Coast Guard crisis, as RTÉ News reports.

The former director of the Workplace Relations Commission has been appointed by Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton to step in and help to find a solution for issues within the Co Clare coastguard unit.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the station has been stood down after the mass resignation of six volunteers at the start of this month following years of rancour and division between members and Irish Coast Guard management.

Welcoming the appointment, local Senator Timmy Dooley said Mulvey will bring “immense experience” to the role and that he hoped “all sides will engage”. RTÉ News has more on the story.

Last week, the chairman of the new coastguard volunteers’ representative association told Afloat’s Tom MacSweeney that personnel issues have been “a blind spot” for the coastguard. Listen to the podcast HERE.

Individuals who risked their own lives to aid others in peril on the water made up the bulk of this year’s National Bravery Awards, which were presented by the Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl on Friday (12 November).

The ceremony at Farmleigh House in Dublin’s Phoenix Park brought recipients together to receive their Certificates of Bravery for 17 acts of bravery. There were also nine Bronze Medals for Bravery awarded, while another six recipients received Silver Medals for Bravery.

“What these awards celebrate is the noblest impulse within a human being, to risk their life in order to save another,” the Ceann Comhairle said.

“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.”

The crew of the Waterford-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 were each awarded a Certificate of Bravery for their efforts to evacuate seven from a fishing vessel that sank at Kenmare Bay in March this year.

Sarah Courtney, Ronan Flanagan and Adrian O’Hara from Waterford and Aaron Hyland from Galway each received Certificates of Bravery, and for her actions Sarah Courtney was also awarded a Silver Medal.

Four visiting Americans were commended after leaping into action to rescue a young girl who was swept out to sea on an inflatable at Portmarnock Beach in July 2019.

Walter Butler — a member of the US Coast Guard — and his relatives Declan Butler, Eoghan Butler and Alexander Hugh Thomson from Arlington, Virginia each received a Certificate of Bravery.

Another incident at Portmarnock the following month saw Gerard Tyrrell receive a Bronze Medal and a Certificate of Bravery for his rescue of two girls blown out to sea on an inflatable flamingo.

Shane Moloney was commended for saving his father Noel’s life after the boat they were moving out of a field behind their North Cork home struck overhead power lines, delivering a near-fatal 10,000-volt electric shock.

Beth Darrer and Niamh McMahon each received a Bronze Medal and a Certificate of Bravery for their swift response to help rescue four young men who got into difficulty in the water at Inchydoney Beach in May 2020.

For her selfless actions in rescuing a father and his three daughters swept out to sea off Portsalon Beach in Co Donegal in July 2020, Jane Friel was awarded a Bronze Medal and a Certificate of Bravery.

Scott McQuaid was honoured with a Silver Medal and a Certificate of Bravery for his rescue of a young boy who had got into difficulty with his father when their kayak capsized at Ardreigh Lock on the River Barrow in Athy in February this year.

Zoey Lally rescued three teenage boys who were swept into the sea from Easkey Pier by a high wave in March this year, and received a Silver Medal and a Certificate of Bravery for her actions.

A number of gardaí were also commended in this years awards, with Garda Keenan McGavisk and Garda Róisín O’Donnell receiving Bronze Medals for their rescue of a distressed man from a fast-flowing river in Ardee, Co Louth in March last year, and Garda Caroline O’Brien also getting a Bronze Medal for saving the life of a young man who entered the water near St John’s Quay in Kilkenny in July 2019.

And 26 years after her crucial lifesaving actions, a Silver Medal and Certificate of Braver were awarded to Susan Hackett for the rescue of two young people who got into difficulty while swimming in the River Suir new Newcastle, Co Tipperary in the summer of 1995.

The National Bravery Awards are awarded annually by Comhairle na Míre Gaile – the Deeds of Bravery Council – which was founded in 1947 to enable State recognition of exceptional acts of bravery.

The council is chaired by the Ceann Comhairle and includes the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, the Lord Mayors of Dublin and Cork, the Garda Commissioner, the President of the Association of City & County Councils and the chairman of the Irish Red Cross.

TheJournal.ie reports that the Government intends to appoint an independent mediator to resolve issues at Doolin Coast Guard that led to the resignation of six volunteers last week.

Fears have been growing over the future of the Irish Coast Guard unit in Co Clare, which was left with just five active and fully trained volunteers and was subsequently stood down.

One coastguard member said the situation that involves accusations of bullying within the service “has been simmering in Doolin for years”.

Responding to a question in the Seanad the past Tuesday (9 November) from Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton suggested there is “a role for an independent person or mediator to be appointed to the Doolin unit with a view to resolving the difficulties”.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

Fears have grown over the future of Doolin Coast Guard after the unit was suspended last week following the resignation of six volunteers members on Monday 1 November.

As the Irish Examiner reports, the Co Clare coastguard unit — which is now left with just five active and fully trained volunteers out of a complement of 11 — has been stood down.

However, Inis Óirr Coast Guard in the Aran Islands, which comes under the direct management of the Doolin unit, will remain operational.

One coastguard member said the situation that involves accusations of bullying within the service “has been simmering in Doolin for years”.

“Each and every one of those members was an invaluable asset to the service. Dublin [management] wasn’t blindsided by this but they blindly let it happen,” they said.

In a statement, the Irish Coast Guard said it “acknowledges the divisions that have unfortunately existed within the unit for a number of years”.

It added that it “will continue to offer support to all those affected by this event, and with the aim to strengthen the unit’s management structure, provide relevant training and mediation services as may be required, and return the unit to operational readiness as quickly as practicable”.

During the week the Dáil was told that the “toxic” working environment at Doolin is replicated “up and down” the country, according to The Irish Times.

It follows a report last month that paints “a picture of friction and strain” between the coastguard rank-and-file and upper management over claims of poor treatment of volunteers.

Meanwhile, a maritime lawyer has called for a “root and branch review” of the coastguard system in Ireland, as the Irish Independent reports.

Speaking to RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland on Wednesday (3 November) Michael Kingston alleged a “litany of failures” regarding volunteers’ safety within the service nationwide.

It comes in the same week that the final report into the loss of Rescue 116 and its four crew in a crash off the North Mayo coast in March 2017 was severely critical of risk management within CHC Ireland, which operates the search and rescue helicopter service for the Irish Coast Guard. Afloat.ie has more on that story HERE.

Carnsore/Rosslare Coast Guard is featured in the third episode of Ireland’s Unidentified Bodies, now streaming on the Virgin Media Player.

The episode glimpses into the coastguard’s part in assisting in a search for remains off the coast of Wexford.

As previously reported in the Irish Independent, the four-part docuseries hopes to join the dots in the search for Ireland’s missing people.

The series is currently being rebroadcast on Wednesdays, and you can catch episode three again next Wednesday night at 11pm on Virgin Media One.