Courtown RNLI will hold an official naming and dedication ceremony for its new D-Class Lifeboat on Saturday 24 April 2010. The ceremony will take place at 2pm on the north pier in Courtown Harbour where the lifeboat will be officially named Cairde an Chuain (Harbour Friends).
The Courtown volunteer lifeboat crew and committee are issuing an invitation for everyone to join them for the ceremony. The new D-Class Lifeboat will have the number D711 and will be named Cairde an Chuain as a dedication to those volunteers of Courtown RNLI who have passed away.
Cairde an Chuain has replaced D548 Star of the Sea that came into service in 1999 and retired from service in August 2009. The funding for the new lifeboat was raised locally through various fundraisers and voluntary donations. The new inshore lifeboat costs €32,000 and is a significant investment in life saving.
Courtown Lifeboat Operations Manager Sam Kennedy said, “ Everyone with Courtown RNLI is looking forward to this important event. We hope that all our friends and supporters can join us on the day. A lifeboat naming ceremony is always a meaningful and memorable community event in the history of a lifeboat station. I know this new lifeboat will go on many successful callouts for years to come.”