RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Aran Islands RNLI coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin with fiancée Treasa and baby Eibhlín

Aran Islands RNLI Ready for First Christmas On Call Under New Coxswain

12th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

As the RNLI launches its annual Christmas fundraising appeal, with a focus on the generations of families who have volunteered their time and commitment to ensure the charity’s lifesaving service has continued for nearly 200 years, there will be a…

Alexandra Van Tuyll receiving her RNLI Certificate of Thanks from head of region Anna Classon

Achill Island Lifeboat Fundraiser Alexandra Van Tuyll Honoured by RNLI

12th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A long-standing volunteer fundraiser for Achill Island RNLI has been honoured by the charity’s chief executive for her generous support of the Co Mayo lifeboat station and its work in saving lives at sea. Alexandra Van Tuyll, who has been…

Courtown RNLI’s lifeboat station lit up for the festive season

Courtown RNLI Invites Community to ‘Jingle Mingle’ This Weekend

6th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtown RNLI volunteers invite everyone in the community to their ‘Jingle Mingle’ event this Saturday 9 December. The fundraising committee is hosting the Christmas afternoon from 2pm-5pm on the North Pier in Courtown, Co Wexford. It’s an opportunity to gather…

Gary Hayes, who works as operations manager at Dun Laoghaire Marina, has been a volunteer at Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station for 21 years

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Crew Member Gary Hayes Is Named Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year

4th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew member Gary Hayes has been named the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year for 2023. Hayes picked up the overall honour at the Volunteer Ireland Awards ceremony in Limerick on Saturday night (2 December) after he…

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Coxswains Ken Cashman and Mark John Gannon on arrival home with Bonnie

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat in Dog Rescue from Harbour

30th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A dog that had been reported missing for several hours in West Cork was rescued by the Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Station on Wednesday afternoon. The station received a call from two people on the shore who had spotted the dog…

Aaron O’Reilly (left) and James Corballis (right) after completing and passing the last of their assessments afloat which means that they can become fully fledged crew, with assessor trainer Sean Ginnelly (centre)

Galway Lifeboat Volunteer Duo Complete Their Training to Become Fully Fledged Crew

30th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

James Corballis and Aaron O’Reilly, two trainee crew members with Galway RNLI, have completed their training programme and passed their final assessments which means that they can progress to fully fledged crew. Lifeboat training covers a range of skill sets…

The Islands Project with Dun Laoghaire RNLI at the launch of their tribute song “The Shout”

Irish Musician Trio Write Lifeboat Song ‘The Shout’ to Honour RNLI

30th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A group of three Irish friends have joined together to write and produce a song honouring lifeboat volunteers throughout the RNLI, which they hope will raise vital funds and awareness of the work carried out by the charity that saves…

File image of Wexford RNLI’s inshore lifeboat and crew

Wexford Lifeboat Launches to Assist Casualty Cut Off By Tide

29th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Wexford RNLI launched to the aid of a casualty who got cut off by the tide while walking near the Ferrybank area on Sunday evening (26 November). The casualty alerted his family members of his whereabouts and they contacted the…

Hear Ireland’s Legendary Olympian Ronnie Delany as Part of RNLI’s 200 Voices Podcast Series

28th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

In 1956, Ronnie Delany won a gold medal in the 1500m race at the Olympics in Melbourne. Now 87, and a vice president of the RNLI, Ronnie takes pride in how he competed for an all-Ireland country as an athlete,…

RNLI All Weather lifeboat, William & Agnes Wray, alongside at Dunmore East Harbour

Dunmore East RNLI Leads Multi-Agency Rescue of Three Fishermen

26th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Dunmore East RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew successfully coordinated a multi-agency rescue operation yesterday morning (25 November) for a fishing vessel in distress. The 12m vessel, with three persons on board, got into difficulty less than 0.5 nautical miles west…

The event will start at 8.30 am on Saturday 2nd December, and at 1 pm, all boats will gather on the Liffey at the Sean O’Casey footbridge

‘All in a Row’ Marathon River Liffey Charity Challenge Aims to Break 1,000km Rowing Target

24th November 2023 Coastal Rowing

‘All In A Row Charity Liffey Challenge 2023’ is coming to the capital’s River Liffey on Saturday, 2nd December, with a challenge for rowing teams to smash a 1,000km target in eight hours. 22 rowing clubs will row the challenge…

Newcastle RNLI Coxswain Gerry McConkey, mechanic Shane Rice and crew members Lochlainn Leneghan, Declan McClelland, Karl Brannigan and Declan Barry have all received a framed RNLI Chief Executive commendation for their efforts that saw them launch their all-weather lifeboat and go to sea for 10 hours in weather conditions that deteriorated to gale force nine winds and rough seas

Six Newcastle RNLI Crew Recognised for Bringing Capsized Rowing Boat Crew to Safety in Gale Force Winds

22nd November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Six crew members from Newcastle RNLI in County Down have been recognised for their courage, determination and teamwork in bringing the crew of a racing rowing boat to safety after it capsized off Ardglass Harbour in June last year. Coxswain…

Pictured Left to Right – Tom Bell (Lifeboat Press Officer) Laura (Manager Co-Op Ballyholme) Bryan Lawther (Bangor RNLI) Murdo Murrey (Co-Op Community Charities Representative)

Bangor RNLI Lifeboat Benefits from Belfast Lough's Community Generosity

22nd November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Bangor RNLI station on Belfast Lough is one of three local charities in Bangor and Ballyholme to benefit from the generosity of the local community. On Monday, 20 November, volunteers from Bangor RNLI were delighted to be presented with a…

Representing Lough Derg RNLI at the Nenagh Municipal District Awards were (from left) lifeboat medical adviser Dr Peter Hooker, helm and press officer Eleanor Hooker, crew member Doireann Kennedy, deputy launching authority Peter Kennedy, fundraising committee chair Niamh McCutcheon and crew member Joe O’Donoghue

Lough Derg RNLI Recognised in 2023 Nenagh Municipal District Awards

22nd November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteers representing Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat station were honoured with a scroll and a cheque for €500 at the annual Nenagh Municipal District Awards on Monday evening (20 November) in recognition of their volunteer work on Lough Derg. The award,…

The VDLR Ladies Lunch fundraising cheque was presented to Philip Ferguson (left) on behalf of Dun Laoghaire RNLI this week by Gina Luizzie and Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Chairman, Don O'Dowd

VDLR 2023's Dubarry Ladies Lunch Raises €1,888 for Dun Laoghaire RNLI

21st November 2023 Volvo Regatta

Ireland's largest regatta, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta boasted almost 500 entries in July, that raised €1,888 for the Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat charity at its sell-out Dubarry Ladies Lunch. One of the social highlights of the four day regatta, the…

File image of Carrybridge RNLI’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat and rescue water craft

Carrybridge RNLI Lifesavers Feature in BBC’s Saving Lives at Sea

19th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Following their fellow Northern Ireland lifeboat volunteers in Larne, as reported last month on Afloat.ie, the crew at Carrybridge RNLI will feature in the latest series of Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two at 8pm next Thursday 23 November.…

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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