RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

A presentation to Roy Abrahamsson from Dunmore East RNLI crew and Irish Coast Guard Helicopter R117

Dunmore East RNLI Celebrates Roy Abrahamsson’s 24 Years of Lifesaving Service

2nd February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Marking the end of an era, Roy Abrahamsson, Coxswain and Mechanic of Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat station, has embarked on a new venture in Sweden. Roy's distinguished 24-year tenure with the RNLI, 13 of which he served as Coxswain, has…

Pictured at the cheque presentation meeting of Dublin Motorcycle Touring Club members are from left, Jim McGrath, DMTC chairman, John Dunne, DMTC treasurer, Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew member Moselle Hogan and Michael Donohoe, Dun Laoghaire RNLI fundraising branch. Moselle and Michael are also water safety advisors with the station, part of their role being to provide education training around water safety.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Receives €6,300 from Motorcycle Touring Club

2nd February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Thanks to dedicated fundraising by members of the Dublin Motorcycle Touring Club (DMTC), Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI received a generous donation of €6,300 as a result of multiple events undertaken by DMTC members throughout 2023. Founded in 1971, DMTC is…

Arranmore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat at sea in the background with a pod of dolphins in the foreground

Early Morning Call for Arranmore Lifeboat to Assist in Rescue of Four Fishermen

1st February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer crew of Arranmore RNLI responded to a call by Malin Head Coast Guard at 6am on Wednesday morning (31 January) to four fishermen on a boat in difficulty at Inis Meain, off the coast of Bunbeg in Co…

Pwllheli Lifeboat Station and its all-weather lifeboat

Pwllheli Lifeboat Station Closes Over ‘Disharmony’ Between Crew Members

1st February 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Pwllheli RNLI has closed over “ongoing distrust and disharmony” between crew members at the North Wales lifeboat station. According to BBC News, a number of key personnel have also resigned from the station, prompting the RNLI to “reset operations”. “Until…

Aran Islands and Galway RNLI crew, from left: Daniel O'Connell, Brian Niland, Billy Gillan, Declan Killilea, James Corballis, coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin, Frankie Leonard, Paraic Gill, Caelan Cullen Quinn and mechanic Mairtín Eoin Coyne

Aran Islands and Galway Lifeboat Crews Take Part in Joint Training Exercise on Galway Bay

30th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Crews from the Aran Islands and Galway RNLI stations took part in a joint training exercise on inner Galway Bay this past Saturday (27 January). The training was an opportunity for the crews from the two flanking stations to work…

Call for Cyclists to ‘Lap the Lake’ For Third Year Running in Aid of Lough Derg RNLI This May

29th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Cyclists will ‘Lap the Lake’ for the third year running to raise funds for Lough Derg RNLI on Saturday 11 May. With Lough Derg RNLI marking 20 years of lifeboat service on the lake in the same year that the…

Union Hall RNLI Volunteer Reflects on Community Loss in West Cork

26th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

In the latest edition of 200 Voices, the RNLI podcast, Pamela Deasy has vivid memories of January 2012 the loss of five crew on a fishing trawler in Glandore Harbour and the subsequent establishment of a lifeboat station at Union…

Tramore RNLI crew towed a broken-down pleasure boat to Tramore Pier after it broke down and drifted towards the beach

First Shout of the Year for Tramore Lifeboat to Assist One Aboard Pleasure Vessel

24th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Tramore RNLI went to the aid of one person on a pleasure boat with engine failure last Thursday evening (18 January) in the Co Waterford crew’s first call-out of 2024. An emergency call received by the Marine Rescue Co-ordinating Centre…

Cocker Spaniel Charlie in the arms of RNLI volunteer Laura Jackson at Dun Laoghaire Harbour

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Rescues Cocker Spaniel Charlie from Rocky Ledge

23rd January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Last Saturday, the Dun Laoghaire RNLI rescued a Cocker Spaniel named Charlie from a rocky ledge inside the west wall at Dun Laoghaire harbour. Charlie, a three-year-old chocolate brown Cocker Spaniel, had wandered down the dangerously slippy harbour wall steps…

Fethard RNLI Assist on Fishing Vessel off Baginbun Head

20th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteer lifeboat crew at Fethard RNLI in County Wexford were requested to launch their lifeboat yesterday morning (Friday 19 January) at 11.11 am to assist a broken down 24-foot fishing vessel. Fethard RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched, made their way…

File image of Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat braving stormy conditions at sea

RNLI Issues Safety Warning Ahead of Storm Isha

20th January 2024 Weather

As Ireland and the UK prepare for Storm Isha this weekend, the RNLI is asking those visiting the coast to be cautious of the dangers. Met Éireann and the Met Office have issued weather warnings ahead of Storm Isha’s arrival…

Carrybridge RNLI assisting four people onboard a broken down vessel on Lough Erne

Carrybridge RNLI Assist Four People on a Broken Down Boat

19th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

At 5.32 pm on Sunday, 14 January, Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat on Upper Lough Erne was launched at the request of Belfast Coastguard to assess a vessel with four people on board, which had broken down 2 miles North of…

The RNLI lifeboat proceeded to tow the yacht to the nearest safe port at Ballyglass pier

Ballyglass RNLI Rescues Sailor after 9m Yacht Gets into Difficulty off the Mayo Coast

18th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Ballyglass RNLI came to the aid of a lone sailor last night (Wednesday, 17 January) after their yacht got into difficulty in the North Atlantic Sea. The all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch by Malin Head Coast Guard to assist…

Hooked On Swimmers present a cheque to Fethard RNLI

Fethard RNLI Receives €12,985 in Donations from Local Fundraising Group and Businesses

15th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The Fethard RNLI fundraising committee members in County Wexford, along with some volunteers, gathered last week to receive a significant amount of funds raised by the Hooked On Swimming Group and two businesses with local links. In total, the group…

The fascinating and often heart-warming story of Dublin Bay's lifeboats

Dublin Bay Lifeboat History Starts New Maritime Talks Series

11th January 2024 Dublin Bay Old Gaffers

The indefatigable maritime polymath Cormac Lowth is among the first back into presentation mode in 2024, with the fascinating and often heart-warming story of Dublin Bay's lifeboats told - and very well illustrated - in his renowned inimitable style. The…

Ballyholme Yacht Club Boxing Day Cheque for the RNLI: (from left to right) John Bell (RNLI Helm), John Montgomery (RNLI Community Engagement Officer), Jo Rennie (BYC), Taqiq Qutteineh (BYC Club Captain), Barbara Polly (BYC), Stephen Polly (BYC Rear Commodore Sailing)

Ballyholme Yacht Club Present Bangor RNLI With Cheque for £2,500

9th January 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Bangor RNLI on Belfast Lough received a donation of £2,500 from the members of Ballyholme Yacht Club this Christmas. The funds were raised during the festive period over a series of events hosted by the club. The Christmas Prize Draw…

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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