#RNLI - Portrush RNLI had their first two callouts of 2016 in quick succession yesterday today (Sunday 10 January).

The all-weather lifeboat (ALB) was first launched around 2.30pm following reports of kayakers in difficulty at Kinnego Bay in Donegal.

The weather conditions at the time were difficult as the wind was in a northwesterly direction. Sea conditions were rough and it was bitterly cold.

Fortunately, before the lifeboat and its volunteer crew reached Kinnego Bay, Greencastle Coastguard reported that they had located the kayakers and were transporting them back to safety.

Less than an hour after returning to base, Portrush RNLI had their second call out of 2016, and the ALB was launched at 4pm to reports of a boat in difficulty at Benone Beach.

The weather conditions were difficult as the wind was in a southwesterly direction; sea conditions were moderate but the wind chill made it bitterly cold.

The search continued for some two hours with the coastguard combing the beach and a helicopter deployed to assist. The crew searched an area ranging from Benone beach over to Greencastle and Shrove off the Donegal Coast.

However, with the light failing rapidly and no sign of either a boat or persons in the water, the search was stood down for the night.

Portrush RNLI lifeboat operations manager Robin Cardwell said: "We couldn’t believe that we received another call out so soon after our first one of 2016, but once again the crew responded without hesitation. Our volunteers are always ready to go when the pager goes off, even on a bitter January afternoon.

"We searched the designated area for nearly three hours in very cold conditions. This is exactly the type of situations our volunteer crew are trained to do."

#RNLI - Clifden RNLI's inshore lifeboat Granuaile launched yesterday afternoon (Saturday 9 January) to assist a walker and her six dogs who had been stranded on Omey Island on the Connemara coast by the rapidly incoming tide.

The popular walking destination is widely accessible by car and on foot at low tide, but the speed of the incoming tide is notoriously deceptive and strandings of this kind are not uncommon in the area.

Clifden RNLI helm Joe Acton, who recently received an award of long service for 20 years as a volunteer, said: "When we arrived on the scene, the lady and her six dogs had already abandoned her van and made their way back to the shore. We were more than happy to return them all safely to the shore."

Also on the callout were Clifden RNLI volunteers Alvin Bell, David O'Reilly, shore crew Ian Shanahan and driver Neil Gallery.

#RNLI - Dunmore East RNLI launched on Friday (8 January) to assist a 50ft fishing vessel with five people on board.

The vessel suffered engine failure eight miles from Dunmore East Harbour.

Just before 5pm the volunteer lifeboat crew at Dunmore East RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat at the request of the Irish Coast.

Some 15 minutes later, the Trent Class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald arrived on scene and the casualty vessel was then towed into the safety of Dunmore East Harbour, just after 7pm.

Speaking following the callout, Dunmore East RNLI coxswain Paulie Daniels said: "Our crew responded very quickly to the pagers and thankfully it turned out to be a very straight forward tow.

"Conditions were tough with rain throughout and wind and sea freshening."

#RNLI - Kilmore Quay RNLI assisted four fishermen to safety in the early hours of this morning (Friday 8 January) after they feared their vessel was in danger from taking on water.

The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 11.10pm last night following a Mayday call that a 13m steel fishing trawler was taking on water at Baginbun to the east of Hook Head in Co Wexford.

The four crew onboard were fishing for herring when they got into difficulty and raised the alarm. Weather conditions at the time were challenging, with a Force 8 fresh gale, a rough sea and driving rain.

The all-weather lifeboat, under coxswain Eugene Kehoe and with six crew on board, launched within minutes and made its way to the scene around 8.5 nautical miles from Kilmore Quay.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the vessel wasn’t taking on water but that in the challenging weather conditions, some of the pound boards used to keep the fish from moving freely, had given way.

This caused a substantial amount of herring to move towards the stern of the vessel, forcing it down so that the deck level ended up in the water.

The lifeboat crew assessed the situation and contemplated transferring the fishermen onto the lifeboat. However, a decision was made to closely monitor the situation with the lifeboat moving to the weather side of the vessel to create a lee and provide shelter to the vessel before escorting it to Kilmore Quay.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 was also on scene providing essential light overhead to guide the vessel into the harbour at Kilmore Quay.

Speaking following the callout, Kilmore Quay RNLI mechanic Brian Kehoe said: "The fishermen rightly raised the alarm when they got into trouble and, taking our advice, they made a good decision given the weather conditions, to change their passage, turn around and head for Kilmore Quay with our escort.

"This was a slow process which took just over two hours in severe weather conditions but thankfully everyone was returned safely to shore."

#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI received their first callout of 2016 on Sunday 3 January when a man living aboard a barge was marooned by a strong river current on the River Shannon in Athlone.

The barge is moored below the old railway bridge in Athlone, where rising waters have covered the jetty, leaving the man on board surrounded by water and unable to safely reach the shore except by use of his tender dinghy.

The river was flowing fast at this location and the dinghy broke free. It was later retrieved downstream and tied up at a nearby location. However, the man on the barge was unable to reach it.

Lough Ree's lifeboat was paged at 2:35pm and made its way to the scene. Progress was hampered first at the motorway bridge, where the crew found the clearance greatly reduced, but they succeeded in passing through at low speed.

Progress towards the ‘White Bridge’ was slow because of the amount of debris in the water, and also because navigation markers were difficult to sight, being almost totally submerged.

Manoeuvring through the White Bridge required further care and skill, due to the speed of water flow and the narrowness of the navigable section of the bridge.

Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat helm Stan Bradbury said: "The river is moving very fast in Athlone at the moment, and contains debris of various sizes. Even shallow waters can be very dangerous under these conditions.

"We were glad to be of service in retrieving the tender and further securing the barge to its underwater moorings."

Flooding along the length of the Shannon remains a serious concern since heavy rains from December's winter storms saw the river breach its banks in a number of areas.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI responded to their first callout of 2016 yesterday morning (Saturday 2 January) as they launched to reports of swimmer in difficulty off Rush.

Pagers sounded shortly before 10am after Dublin Coast Guard received reports that a man swimming at the North Beach was having difficulty getting back to shore.

Skerries RNLI volunteers launched the lifeboat with Conor Walsh at the helm and crew Paddy Dillon, Emma Wilson and Steven Johnston.

The Skerries Coast Guard unit and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 were also tasked. At the time there was a moderate sea swell and a Force 4 easterly wind.

While the lifeboat was en route to Rush, a local person launched their sea kayak to provide assistance to the man and managed to help him to the beach.

Skerries Coast Guard assessed the casualty and provided first aid before he was transferred by helicopter to hospital. The lifeboat was stood down and returned to base.

Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "We have had a lot of wind, rain and large seas lately. So we would advise everyone to exercise caution in or around the water.

"Even if you know an area well, the currents are likely to be quite different at the moment."

#RNLI - Kilkeel RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew have been recognised for their professionalism by a nearby business.

Mark Forkin of NuTech Renewables in Warrenpoint visited Kilkeel Lifeboat Station on Tuesday (1 December) to present a boat maintenance hamper to the crew in recognition of their positive and selfless attitude, their willingness to drop everything at a moment's notice to help other people, and their strong commitment to training and achievements in continuous improvement.

Forkin said that he and the rest of his team watched a yacht rescue in Carlingford Lough and all were impressed by the excellent teamwork and professionalism displayed.

#RNLI - Clifden RNLI's all-weather lifeboat Pride and Spirit was launched shortly after 4pm on Tuesday (24 November) to undertake an urgent medical evacuation from the island of Inishturk North.

This was the second such callout in a fortnight, after a medevac from Inishbofin on 15 November, with severe weather conditions once again facing the volunteer crew, who have had a busy year to date trialling the Mersey-class lifeboat.

With winds blowing north-west Force 7 to 8 and a swell warning issued by Met Éireann, a round trip of almost 50 nautical miles was required to bring the casualty to shore for urgent medical attention.

"The swell was over five metres at times and it took us around an hour and 45 minutes to reach the island," said Clifden RNLI coxswain John Mullen, "but thankfully the Pride and Spirit is well equipped for such conditions.

"We brought the casualty into Cleggan Harbour shortly after 7pm and would like to wish her a speedy recovery."

The volunteer lifeboat crew consisting of Owen Hayes (navigator), Robert King (mechanic), David O Reilly, Daniel Whelan and coxswain Mullen returned to Clifden Bay shortly before 9pm.

#RNLI - Christmas came early at Donaghadee Primary School yesterday (Tuesday 24 November) as children enjoyed a reading of an RNLI festive story.

Accompanied by Rookie the RNLI Reindeer and coxswain Philip McNamara, Donaghadee RNLI’s deputy second coxswain John Ashwood read The Big Christmas Rescue to a group of pupils in Primary One.

The kids were able to hear about the station’s all-weather lifeboat and learned about the lifesaving service that the RNLI provides.

The story is set on a wet and windy Christmas Eve night. But when Santa crashes his sleigh in the sea, volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members go to the rescue.

The Big Christmas Rescue children’s book is also customisable, making it a perfect seasonal gift.

It can be personalised to put young readers at the centre of a magical festive story, and the gift-giver can select the name, gender and skin tone of the child in the story, making it a truly unique present for their own special little person.

"I really enjoyed reading the story to the children," said Ashwood. "They all seemed to enjoy the book and it was great to tell the children about the lifesaving service we provide at the RNLI.

"The Big Christmas Rescue is a really beautiful book and it’s the perfect gift for children this Christmas. I love the way the book can be personalised, putting readers at the heart of the story. Importantly, all profits from sales of the book will help the RNLI continue to save lives at sea."

To order a personalised copy of The Big Christmas Rescue, go to RNLISHOP.org/BigRescue. The last order date for the book to guarantee delivery before Christmas is Sunday 13 December 2015.

All profits from book sales will be used to fund the charity’s lifesaving services, delivered by volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards who between them rescued 10,496 people last year – more than 1,400 across the island of Ireland alone.

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 5.31pm yesterday evening (Sunday 22 November) to assist a yacht with two people on board at Wicklow Harbour.

The skipper of the 10-metre yacht contacted the coastguard for assistance after briefly running aground near the Packet pier.

Within minutes the lifeboat and its volunteer crew – coxswain Nick Keogh, mechanic Tommy Murphy, Dave O'Leary, Lisa O'Leary, Connie O'Gara and Joe Hanlon – were alongside the vessel.

Two volunteers went on board the yacht to establish a towline and assist as the lifeboat towed the vessel to the north quay.

Elsewhere at the weekend, Arranmore RNLI in Co Donegal was called to assist a 27-foot fishing boat with two on board just after 5pm on Saturday evening (21 November).

The boat from the fishing village of Burtonport was less than half a mile from the lifeboat station when it got into difficulty with a fouled propeller.

Arranmore RNLI second coxswain Jimmy Early and his volunteer crew secured a tow rope on board the fishing boat and towed it into Burtonport Harbour at 6.15pm.

On returning to the station, Early said the crew was pleased to be of assistance.

"It was very fortunate that the boat was fishing close to the station when it got into difficulty and we were able to establish a tow rope within minutes of launching, it was certainly one of the fastest rescues we had," he said.