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Union Hall RNLI – The 45th Lifeboat Station in Ireland is Now Operational

3rd September 2014
Union Hall RNLI – The 45th Lifeboat Station in Ireland is Now Operational

#rnli – The RNLI's 45th lifeboat station in Ireland has officially been put on service at Union Hall for a trial period of two years. The station boat is now a declared search and rescue asset based at Keelbeg Pier in Union Hall, County Cork.

The RNLI will operate a B class Atlantic 75 lifeboat from temporary station facilities and launching from a slipway adjacent to the pier. The station's lifeboat Maritime Nation has come from the existing RNLI relief fleet and was previously on service in Galway City, Red Bay in County Antrim and Crosshaven in County Cork. Following a two year trial period the RNLI will then make a decision on whether to establish a permanent lifeboat station.

Representations were made to the RNLI in February 2013 for a declared search and rescue asset to be established at Union Hall. Following meetings last year a team of volunteers was selected to operate the station and crew the lifeboat. There has since been an intensive period of training for the volunteer lifeboat crew, which has included months of training at Union Hall and visits to the RNLI training college in Poole.

There are currently 16 volunteer lifeboat crew including six helms at Union Hall. Their backgrounds range from a civil engineer, Guard, electrician, carpenter, fisherman, fishmonger and fireman. There are also two members of the one family involved with Castlehaven GAA club. Footballers and brothers Shane and Stephen Hurley are members of the crew. The station also has one female crew member in Carla Nugent.

Lifeboat Operations Manager John Kelleher is proud of the new station, which he and other local people had been active in securing for the area. He said: 'This is a great day for everyone involved in the setting up of this station. For years the community in Union Hall and the surrounding areas of West Cork have supported the RNLI with street collections and various fundraising events. Even though we did not have a station in Union Hall we knew how important it was to have the lifeboat service in Ireland.

'The late Joe Regan, a former mechanic at Baltimore RNLI and former chairman of the Union Hall Fundraising Committee started things rolling many years ago before others in the community took up the challenge. We received great support and encouragement from everyone involved with the RNLI at both Swords and Poole. To see this group of volunteers coming together and training with the lifeboat and now going on service is a proud day for me.'

The station will operate approximately eight miles to the west and 14 miles to the east of the greater Glandore Bay area. It is a popular spot for fishermen and visitors including anglers, rowers, swimmers and sailors. The station is flanked by Courtmacsherry RNLI to the east and Baltimore RNLI to the west.

Ronan Boyle RNLI Divisional Operations Manager said: 'On behalf of the RNLI I wish everyone involved at the new trial lifeboat station in Union Hall every success. From the initial meeting right through to the start day, the enthusiasm shown by the crew and station management has been overwhelming. I am delighted that Union Hall now the opportunity to demonstrate the utility of a lifeboat in this location for the trial period of two years.'

Published in RNLI Lifeboats
Afloat.ie Team

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Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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