RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Kilmore Quay's all-weather Tamar class lifeboat Killarney pictured alongside at Kilmore Quay with a Coastguard vehicle on the slipway on Saturday afternoon following the first call-out

Kilmore Quay RNLI Aids Yacht That 'Lost All Power'

26th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Kilmore Quay RNLI volunteer crew were called late on Saturday night to assist a yacht with four people on board that had lost power at sea, having also launched in the afternoon to reports of four swimmers in difficulty at…

Wicklow RNLI Inshore and all-weather lifeboats rescue sailors from a capsized yacht where one person was trapped in rigging

Five Rescued from Capsized Yacht by Wicklow RNLI

26th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Both Wicklow RNLI Inshore and all-weather lifeboats launched this afternoon (Sunday, 25 June) after the Irish Coast Guard received a distress call on Marine VHF Channel 16, reporting an 8-metre racing yacht had capsized during a squall in Wicklow bay,…

Sligo Bay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat crew right one of the capsized dinghies on Thursday evening (22 June). The sailing club reported that conditions on the water changed quickly before the incident

Sligo Bay Lifeboat Launches to Sailing Dinghies Caught in Squall

24th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Sligo Bay RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat to reports of sailing dinghies caught in a squall on Thursday evening (22 June). Following reports from an onlooker on the beach at Rosses Point that there appeared…

Enniskillen's new RNLI station on the Killadeas Road

Enniskillen RNLI to Open State of the Art Station and Name Atlantic 85 Class Lifeboat

23rd June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteers at Enniskillen RNLI will host a dual celebration at 2 pm next Saturday, 1 July, when the charity’s new state-of-the-art lifeboat station will be officially opened on Killadeas Road. The charity’s Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, John and Jean Lewis,…

Pictured at the launch of the 2023 Runway Fun Run at Ireland West Airport are (from left) Eilish Power of Achill Island RNLI, Carmen Taheny of ISPCC, Marion Biesty and Mary Russell of Mayo SPCA, Alanna O’Boyle of Diabetes Ireland, Geraldine Molloy of the Cancer Fund for Children and Eoghan O’Sullivan or Breakthrough Cancer

Achill Island and Ballyglass RNLI Among Charities to Benefit From Popular Airport Run

23rd June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Achill Island and Ballyglass RNLI in Co Mayo are among six charities that will benefit from the proceeds raised from the hugely popular annual 5k Runway Fun Run, which will take place on the runway at Ireland West Airport this…

File image of Sligo Bay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Sligo Bay Lifeboat Launches to Four Swimmers in Difficulty at Strandhill

22nd June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Sligo Bay RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat to reports of four swimmers in difficulty on Wednesday afternoon (21 June) at Strandhill beach. On arrival at the scene less than 20 minutes after pagers sounded, the…

File image of Portrush RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Portrush Lifeboat Crews Assist Evacuation of Casualty Who Fell onto Rocks

21st June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Portrush RNLI was requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard at 7.15pm on Tuesday evening to reports of a person who had fallen onto rocks between Portrush and Portstewart on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast. The all-weather lifeboat was already out on…

Wexford RNLI crew setting up a towline with the grounded motorboat

Wexford Lifeboat Rescues Two After Boat Runs Aground on Rocks

21st June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Wexford RNLI rescued two people on Tuesday night (20 June) after their boat ran aground on rocks. The volunteer crew were just completing a routine training exercise when they were requested by the Irish Coast Guard at 9.30pm to go…

File image of Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier

Lough Derg Lifeboat Launches in Darkness to Search for Two Reported Overdue

20th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

In the early hours of Tuesday morning (20 June), Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to launch to search for and assist two people reported to have set out from Portumna for Mountshannon seven hours earlier but who had…

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI inshore lifeboat

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Tows Small Boat with Four People Onboard

20th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI had a late call from the Irish Coast Guard last night, Monday (19 June) to assist four people on a small boat with engine trouble, close to Carlisle Pier. The volunteer crew were alerted at 10.11pm…

Three Lough Ree RNLI volunteers Get Special Recognition

20th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Excellence in volunteering awards were recently presented to three volunteers at Lough Ree RNLI. Damien Delaney, Tony McCarth and Bernard Larkin were recognised for their generous and significant contributions to the community and the charity. At a special ceremony, which…

Aran Island GP Dr Marion Broderick is retiring

Aran Island GP Dr Marion Broderick Retiring But Will Continue with RNLI

19th June 2023 Island News

Long-serving Aran Islands GP Dr Marion Broderick is retiring but will continue as a medical officer for the RNLI lifeboat. As The Irish Independent reports today, Broderick has spent 42 years working in one of the busiest offshore practices in…

File image of Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Youghal Lifeboat Assists Three After 40ft Yacht Gets Tangled on Mooring

19th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Youghal RNLI in East Cork launched to the aid of three people on Monday afternoon (19 June) after a 40ft yacht fouled its mooring in Youghal Harbour. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 3.45pm following…

Glenn Bradley is pulled from the water by the lifeboat volunteers with Donaghadee RNLI on Father’s Day 2022

NI Grandfather Says: ‘I’m Here to Celebrate Father’s Day This Year Because the RNLI Saved My Life’

18th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A kayaker is thanking the RNLI for saving his life after the charity’s local volunteer lifeboat crew pulled him from the waves on Father’s Day last year. Grandad Glenn Bradley was enjoying the good weather and calm conditions in Cloughey…

The Aran Islands RNLI All-weather Severn Lifeboat

Aran Islands RNLI Lifeboat Respond to Two Medical Evacuations in a Day

15th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Volunteer lifeboat crew of the Aran Islands RNLI was requested to launch their All-weather Severn Lifeboat at 1.58am on Wednesday June 14 to attend to a woman with an injured ankle in need of further medical attention on Inis…

The Dunmore East RNLI Shannon class all-weather lifeboat

Dunmore East RNLI Rescue Two People From Vessel on Fire

14th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat was called out on Tuesday (13 June) to assist a vessel in distress approximately four miles southeast of Hook Head. The vessel, with two people aboard, had caught fire and called the Irish Coast Guard…

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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