#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI rescued a male swimmer who got into difficulty yesterday afternoon (Thursday 4 September).

The rescue followed a request from the Irish Coast Guard for the volunteer lifeboat crew to search for a missing swimmer at Silver Strand beach.

The alarm was raised by the swimmer’s wife who was concerned for his safety and by members of the public who heard his call for help.

The all-weather lifeboat had already launched at 2.30pm and was on her way to meet and escort a former visiting lifeboat into the harbour when it was requested.

The lifeboat diverted immediately and proceeded south towards Wicklow Head to begin a search. The inshore lifeboat also launched to assist. Weather conditions and visibility in the area were good at the time.

During the search, a person was spotted in the water about one mile offshore near Brides head.

The all-weather lifeboat, under the command of second coxswain Ciaran Doyle, was quickly alongside the casualty. Crewmember Matt Doyle took him from the water using a scramble net.

First aid was administered to the exhausted man by Carol Flahive as the lifeboat made its way back to Wicklow Harbour.

The lifeboat was met on arrival at the East Pier by a waiting ambulance, where the swimmer was treated by paramedics. He did not need to be hospitalised.

It was quickly established that the man had been swimming off Silver Strand when he was carried quite a distance north with the tide and strong currents, which prevented him getting ashore.

At Wicklow Head, he was swept further out to sea. That's when members of the public on the cliff contacted the coastguard after hearing his call for help.

Speaking after the callout, Wicklow RNLI lifeboat operations manager Des Davitt said: "The swimmer was extremely lucky today to be spotted so quickly by the crew and thankfully a tragic outcome was avoided."

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist two people on board a 40ft cruiser, adrift by Crow Island, south of the Scilly Islands on Lough Derg yesterday.

On Wednesday afternoon, September 3, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist two people adrift on their boat by Crow Island. They had damaged the drive shaft on their boat after glancing off a rock.

The lifeboat launched at 3.50pm with Helm Eleanor Hooker, Peter Clarke and Jason Freeman on board. Winds were south westerly, Force 2, visibility was good.

The lifeboat came alongside at 4.15pm and found two fishing boats assisting. Fishermen in one lakeboat had taken the bow line of the casualty vessel to hold them off the rocks. The second fishing boat had remained on standby in case they were required. The lifeboat crew thanked the fishermen for their assistance. The two people were safe and well and wearing their lifejackets. A lifeboat crew member was transferred to the boat, where, after full checking the boat for any further damage, he set up a tow. The lifeboat towed the boat, with her two crew and an RNLI volunteer on board, to Killaloe, where it was safely tied up alongside at 5.15pm

RNLI Lifeboat Helm Eleanor Hooker advises all boat users to remember the importance of 'remaining within the safe channels marked on their lake charts'.

The Lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again at 6.30pm.

#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.'

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI launched within minutes of being alerted to a drifting fishing boat off Yokane Point, west of the Stags in West Cork.

The two men on board the 30-foot motorboat had set out for a peaceful day's fishing on a sunny Autumn afternoon when found themselves in trouble after their engine failed to restart.

But within half an hour of calling for assistance, the Baltimore lifeboat was alongside, with crewman Kieran Collins establishing a tow.

The lifeboat then towed the fishing boat to safety, arriving at Baltimore Harbour at 5.50pm. The motorboat was then secured to the pier by 6.05pm.

Half an hour later the lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again after essential cleaning and maintenance by 7pm.

On board were coxswain Aidan Bushe, mechanic Cathal Cottrell, Brian McSweeney, Sean McCarthy, Kieran Collins, Micheál Cottrell and RNLI staffer Johnny Clooney.

#rnli – The Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat completed its tow of the 33 ft–Fishing Vessel 'Michelle' back to the pier in Courtmacsherry after earlier today going to its rescue 31 miles offshore near the Kinsale Head Gas Fields.

The four hour tow was conducted in good conditions and both the two crewmembers and stricken boat are now docked at village pier.

On board the Courtmscsherry RNLI Lifeboat on today's Callout were Coxswain Sean O Farrell , Mechanic Stewart Russell and crew Ciaran Hurley, Ken Cashman, Gary Barrett, Kieran Boyle and Orla Cronin.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI towed a group of four adults and one child safely to shore after their motorboat developed engine difficulties.

Skerries RNLI volunteer crew launched their Atlantic 85 lifeboat Louis Simson shortly after 4.30pm yesterday afternoon (Monday 1 September) following reports to Dublin Coast Guard of a motorboat adrift near the Perch marker off Skerries.

The crew could see the casualty vessel almost immediately after exiting the launching trolley and proceeded directly to them.

Once alongside, it was discovered that the outboard engine would not start. A tow was established and the boat was returned safely to shore.



At the time of the launch there was a Force 1 easterly wind with calm seas. 



Speaking after the callout, volunteer lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "This was a good result – most importantly, everybody on board was wearing a lifejacket and the alarm was raised quickly."

#rnli – Volunteer crew of Kinsale RNLI were called out on four separate occasions over a three-day period last week. On Thursday 28 August at 12.44pm, Miss Sally Ann (Baggy) went to the aid of pleasure craft, The Spirit of Kinsale, which had become propped by ropes and lost power near Charles Fort. Assisted by Kinsale harbour master Cpt Phil Devitt and local divers Ocean Addicts, the crews from Kinsale and Courtmacsherry lifeboats were able to tow the vessel with 41 passengers and 2 crews on board to the safety of the marina.

Kinsale RNLI Helm Nick Searls said: 'The master on board the pleasure craft deserves credit for his calm handling of the situation, ensuring all passengers were equipped with lifejackets and made aware of emergency procedures. This reinforces the point that any vessel going to sea should have proper safety equipment and know how to react if they get into trouble.'

At 7.40pm that evening, the lifeboat launched for a second time to recover a yacht that had broken its moorings near the bridge. The unmanned vessel was carried down river and across the harbour, coming to rest on rocks by Scilly. RNLI volunteers towed to the yacht to the safety of the marina to ensure it would not present a danger to other shipping in the area. As rougher weather approaches, owners are advised to reinforce their moorings to avoid damage to their own and to neighbouring vessels.

On Friday 29 August at 6pm, a member of the public reported a young lad in a punt in the harbour who was in need of assistance. The lifeboat crew was quickly able to reach him on the shoreline near Castlepark and deliver him safely home.

On Saturday 30 August at 5.30pm, volunteer crew on a routine training exercise were summoned to assist a motorboat that had lost power in Holeopen Bay East. When efforts to restart the engine failed, the vessel was taken under tow and returned safely to its marina berth.

#rnli – The RNLI has today announced that Lough Swilly lifeboat station in Buncrana, County Donegal is to be the first in Ireland to receive the new Shannon class lifeboat. The €2.4M lifeboat is the first class of lifeboat to be named after an Irish river, recognition by the charity of the role of Irish lifeboat crews and volunteers throughout the 190 year history of the RNLI.

The new lifeboat is currently under construction in Lymington, England and is expected to arrive on station in Donegal next April. Lifeboat crew and station management from the Buncrana lifeboat station will next month travel to Lymington to see how their new lifeboat is progressing. It will replace the station's current all-weather Tyne class lifeboat Robert & Violet and will be the first all weather lifeboat that has been specially commissioned for the lifeboat station, the previous two have come from the RNLI's relief fleet.

The Shannon is the latest class of all-weather lifeboat to join the RNLI fleet and the first to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat yet. Waterjets allow the vessel to operate in shallow waters and be intentionally beached. It is 13 metres in length and weighs 18 tonnes.

Its unique hull is designed to minimise slamming of the boat in heavy seas and the shock-absorbing seats further protect the crew from impact when powering through the waves. An improved Systems and Information Management System (SIMS) allows the crew to operate and monitor many of the lifeboat's functions from the safety of their seats. As with all RNLI all-weather lifeboats, the Shannon is designed to be inherently self-righting, returning to an upright position in the event of capsize.

It will replace the Mersey and Tyne class lifeboats, which are now nearing the end of their operational lives. Once rolled out, the entire all-weather lifeboat fleet will be capable of 25 knots, making the lifesaving service more efficient and effective than ever before.

Lough Swilly's lifeboats have launched 710 times and saved 47 lives, as well as bringing 517 others safely home, since its establishment in 1988. Of this total 380 of the launches have been to leisure craft, 262 during the hours of darkness and 70 of them in winds of force 8 or above.

The Shannon lifeboat also has a further Irish connection. Peter Eyre, an RNLI Naval Architect from Derry was instrumental in the development of the new lifeboat, designing the hull form at the age of 24 in his spare time. Peter studied at Foyle and Londonderry College before studying Ship Science at the University of Southampton and undertaking a work placement with the RNLI.

Lough Swilly RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager John McCarter added, 'This is an historic day for Lough Swilly lifeboat station. We were established as an inshore lifeboat station in 1988 and in 2000 received our first all weather lifeboat. In those years Lough Swilly lifeboats have launched 710 times, sometimes in very challenging conditions, to help those in trouble at sea. The station acknowledges the great financial support it has received from the community and fundraising volunteers of North East Donegal. In addition Donegal County Council and Buncrana Town Council have provided invaluable infrastructural support throughout that time. This new lifeboat, which has been designed with the lifeboat crew in mind and which will make our response times even faster, will be a major advancement in lifesaving on the North West coast.'

RNLI Regional Operations Manager Martyn Smith said, 'The announcement of the first Shannon class lifeboat in Ireland is a day I have been looking forward to for some time. This lifeboat marks a significant advancement in search and rescue technology and we will be starting a comprehensive training programme for the lifeboat crew from next January before the Shannon's arrival. The safety and welfare of our volunteer lifeboat crews was a key priority in the development of the new lifeboat class and this particular lifeboat will provide lifesaving cover off the North West coast for decades to come.'

Before the arrival of the lifeboat next April there will be a huge commitment on the part of the lifeboat crew to ensure they are fully trained to operate this lifesaving vessel. I know every lifeboat crew in Ireland wishes the volunteers in Lough Swilly the very best for their new lifeboat.'

#cablecar – Lehanmore Community Co-Op at Garnish on the Beara Peninsula are planning a re-enactment of what they describe as "the first-ever cable car journey to an island in Ireland." writes Tom MacSweeney.

It will be held at Crow Head on Saturday, September 6 and will involve Kerry Mountain Rescue Team, Castletownbere Coast Guard and Castletownbere RNLI according to Paul O'Shea, the Co-op Chairman,

"The first cable car crossing was by a cable rigged up by a prominent farmer Tadgh Roger O'Sullivan from Scrivogue, Garnish, between the mainland and one of the islands to transport his sheep," Lynette Dewhurst, one of those organising the event, said.

"Tadhg's idea gave the impetus and led to the Dursey cable car, unique in Ireland and which is very well-known today. The re-enactment which we are planning will also be a joint training session between the rescue services. The actual setting-up of the re-enactment will be extremely interesting as ropes will be fired hundreds of feet above the Atlantic to then be moored between the mainland and an island. Members of the rescue service will then travel via the cable."

Shuttle buses will transport spectators from Lehanmore Centre to the demonstration site. As the viewing area is in close proximity to the sea, stewards will guide everybody.

"We are asking spectators to be prepared for all weathers as it is an exposed area and donation buckets will raise funds for Kerry Mountain Rescue. A series of talks will be held at Lehanmore Community Centre hosted by the rescue services, where there will be food and refreshments available throughout the day and the evening, with live music from 7pm till late."

#coastguard – Coastguards are this afternoon searching for a 12-year-old boy who is believed to have been swept out to sea at Aberffraw.

Holyhead Coastguard received a 999 call at around 12.30 this lunchtime reporting that three people were stuck on rocks in the estuary. Further information then suggested that two men had managed to make it back to shore, plus a young boy; however another youngster was caught in the large waves and swept out to sea.

The Rhosneigr, Holyhead, Bangor and Moelfre Coastguard Rescue Teams along with two Coastguard Sector Managers are currently involved in the search, alongside the RNLI lifeboats from Porthdinllaen, Holyhead, and Trearddur Bay, the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley and North Wales Police.