RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

RNLI and Coast Guard Search and Rescue services continue to be fully operational and on call 24/7

RNLI & Irish Coast Guard Renew Call for People Not to Use the Sea for Exercise or Recreation

30th April 2020 Coastguard

In advance of the May bank holiday weekend, the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) and RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) are renewing their call to the public not to take part in any water-based activity on or in the sea, while…

Comedian PJ Gallagher Backs RNLI’s ‘Mayday’ Appeal to Fundraise at Home During Coronavirus Restrictions

30th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Lifesaving charity, the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution), is encouraging people to help save lives at sea and on inland waters by fundraising at home for its annual Mayday fundraising appeal. The RNLI’s Mayday campaign normally sees people taking part…

Achill Island RNLI’s lifeboat Sam and Ada Moody

Good Weather Tempts Jet-Skiers & Others Back Onto Water Against Covid-19 Measures

29th April 2020 Coronavirus and Boating

The past weekend’s good weather tempted a group of jet-skiers who subsequently ran into difficulty in Clew Bay, as The Irish Times reports. Achill Island RNLI launched its lifeboat on Saturday evening (25 April) to reports of three men on…

File photo of Wicklow’s relief all-weather lifeboat Jock and Annie Slater

Wicklow Lifeboat Brings Four Fishermen To Safety

28th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI brought four fishermen to safety yesterday evening (Monday 27 April) after their vessel got into difficulties off the Wicklow coast. The all-weather lifeboat Jock and Annie Slater put to sea shortly before 7pm under the command of coxswain…

Bill Deans MBE, lifeboat operations manager at Aberdeen RNLI

Surfers Urged To Stay Ashore Amid Pandemic & Avoid Risk To Lifesaving Crews

15th April 2020 Water Safety

Aberdeen RNLI has urged surfers to stay ashore during the Covid-19 pandemic to “protect emergency services and save lives”. The call came after the volunteer crew of the station in north-east Scotland were forced to break self-isolation and launch their…

Arklow RNLI volunteer crew look for signs of distress under searchlights on Saturday night

Arklow Lifeboat Shines A Light After Suspected Flare Sighting

14th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

While the community was shining a light in support of frontline workers this past Easter weekend, Arklow RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were making their way to the lifeboat station following reports of a distress flare being sighted off the coast.…

Larne RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Terry at the cliff near Muck Island

Larne RNLI Search For Dog That Fell Down Cliff Near Islandmagee

9th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI searched for a dog today (Thursday 9 April) when it was reported missing after falling over a cliff near Muck Island, close to Islandmagee in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland. The volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch by…

Valentia RNLI Lifeboat Comes to the Aid of Ill Fisherman

9th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Valentia RNLI volunteers launched their all-weather lifeboat this morning to assist a fisherman who required medical attention. At 07.25 am the Valentia Coast Guard requested Valentia RNLI all-weather lifeboat to launch to an ill fisherman onboard a 22m fishing vessel,…

RNLI Chief Takes 50% Pay Cut As Lifesaving Charity Plans To Furlough Nearly A Third Of Staff

8th April 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI’s chief executive, Mark Dowie, said he will take a 50% pay cut to help the storm caused by the coronavirus. And the charity that saves lives at sea is also planning to put some 30% of staff on…

Portree lifeboat approaches the grounded cargo ship MV Kaami

Eight Crew Airlifted From Cargo Ship Aground Off Skye

24th March 2020 Rescue

Eight crew were rescued from a cargo ship out of Drogheda that ran aground off the Isle of Skye in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides early yesterday morning (Monday 23 March). The MV Kaami had left Drogheda Port on the evening of…

Portrush RNLI Appoints a New Coxswain Mechanic

15th March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Portrush RNLI has appointed a new Coxswain/Mechanic to replace the recently retired Anthony Chambers. Dave Robinson has been a popular volunteer crew member at the station for seven years and was successful at interview in February 2020. Dave (aged 27)…

RNLI Recruiting For Summer Media Placement At Ireland Base

7th March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI is offering a paid summer media engagement placement based at Swords in North Dublin. This full-time temporary role (for between three and six months) interviews on the week of Monday 13 April and would be best suited to someone…

File image of Skerries RNLI’s Atlantic 85 lifeboat

Skerries Lifeboat Launches To Reports Of Swimmer In Difficulty

5th March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 4 March) after Dublin Coast Guard made them aware of a swimmer in difficulty at Red Island headland in Skerries. The volunteer crew launched the Atlantic 85 lifeboat shortly after 12pm and proceeded to…

Carrybridge RNLI reach the cruiser aground

Carrybridge RNLI Assist One Person on Motor Cruiser Aground

4th March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

At 4.17pm on Wednesday 4 March, Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Douglas Euan & Kay Richards, and Rescue Water Craft (RWC) was launched to a vessel with one person on board which had run aground approx. 2 miles North of Carrybridge.…

Howth RNLI’s inshore lifeboat approaches the stranded duo (circled) at the base of cliffs in Balscadden Bay

Howth Lifeboat Rescues Two From Rocks Cut Off By Tide

4th March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Howth RNLI launched their Inshore lifeboat yesterday (Tuesday 3 March) to rescue two people stranded on rocks in Balscadden Bay. Pagers sounded at 1.58pm after a call was placed to the coastguard reporting two people stranded at the base of…

Volunteer coxswains present Anthony Chambers with a gift from the crew

Portrush Lifeboat Teams Bid Farewell To ‘True Legend’ As Coxswain Anthony Chambers Retires

2nd March 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Lifeboat teams from Portrush and farther afield gathered in the North Coast town on Friday (28 February) to bid farewell to one of their own, as mechanic/coxswain and crew member Anthony Chambers retires after more than 40 years. The Chambers…

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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.

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

Which is Ireland's busiest lifeboat station?

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.

Do the RNLI get paid?

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

How many RNLI Lifeboat stations in Ireland?

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

How many lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions?

How many people are rescued by the RNLI?

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

What type of boats does the RNLI have?

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.

How are lifeboats called out?

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.

What is the relationship between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI in Ireland?

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.

What is a coxswain?

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

What training do RNLI lifeboat crews get?

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