#AnimalRescue - Northern Ireland coastguard teams raced to the aid of a dog trapped on a cliff ledge in Co Down earlier this week.

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, eight coastguard volunteers fought their way across boggy ground to reach the terrier that had slipped down the cliff from the Ballyhornan Coastal Path.

But once on the scene, a winch was quickly set up to rescue the petrified pooch and return him to his owners.

A rescue of a different kind was celebrated in Co Wexford in recent days after a loggerhead turtle washed up in Kilmore Quay over the Christmas period.

According to the Wexford People, the turtle – of a species used to much warmer waters – was named Ninja by staff at the Seal Rescue Ireland sanctuary who nursed her back to health after she beached alive just before Christmas.

A second turtle found over the same period at Ballyhealy Beach sadly died.

"Ninja was our first turtle in the centre and we were extremely happy with her progress," said manager Meadow Greenwood. "Our fingers are still crossed for a full recovery and final ending of release."

Ninja has since been transferred to the longer-term marine wildlife care facilities at Galway Atlantaquaria.

#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."

#Coastguard - The Irish Coast Guard has had its busiest year since 1991, as RTÉ News reports.

As of yesterday (Wednesday 30 December), coastguard teams nationwide had completed a combined total of 2,657 missions – an increase of 1% on 2014 driven by increased aquatic tourism, medevacs and air ambulances services, and the recent severe weather.

The biggest increase was seen among those getting into difficulty on the shoreline, 2015's total of 306 up 10% on the previous year.

In addition, the coastguard was involved in a greater number of searches for missing persons in remote areas assisting gardaí.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Irish Coast Guard's helicopter network last week hit the 1,000-mission landmark for the first time since its services began 25 years ago.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - Two callouts on St Stephen's Day brought the Irish Coast Guard's total annual helicopter rescue missions to the 1,000 mark for the first time since the service began in 1991, as RTÉ News reports.

Sligo's Rescue 118 had its 343rd mission of the year on Saturday 26 December when it airlifted a young boy with leg injuries, while the Shannon-based Rescue 115 was involved in a medevac from the Aran Islands, taking a pregnant woman to Galway University Hospital for its 330th response.

In the East, the coastguard crew of Waterford's Rescue 117 saw 179 missions this year, while Dublin's Rescue 116 embarked on 148 since January as of yesterday (Sunday 27 December).

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

#Xmas - The Irish Coast Guard responded to a surprising distress call this week as a man reported falling off his sleigh over Dollymount Strand.

But this was no hoax call, as the Irish Examiner reports.

And the VIP, in his distinctive red suit, was given a special escort into the city centre, where coastguard staff helped him deliver presents to children in Temple Street Hospital over the Christmas period.

The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - Waterford's coastguard helicopter went to the aid of three men and a dog whose boat was grounded on a sandbank near Rosslare Strand yesterday evening (Wednesday 23 December).

As BreakingNews.ie reports, coastguard units from Rosslare and Carnsore joined Rescue 117 in the operation, with the helicopter airlifting the men and their dog to safety.

Elsewhere, the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard chopper Rescue 118 flew nine stranded islanders home to Tory Island yesterday, according to Independent.ie.

The coastguard stepped in to fly the nine passengers along with post and other supplies to the island off the Donegal mainland after ferry services were disrupted by Storm Eva.

TheJournal.ie has photos of the serious swells the storm brought to the North West coast in particular.

The Sligo based Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, is helping to bring Christmas cheer to Tory Island off the Donegal coast. Nine (9) islanders who otherwise would not have got home for Christmas are this afternoon being flown from Donegal Airport in Carrickfinn, to the island. A backlog of Christmas post and fresh supplies* for the island population were also carried on the flight.

The recent spell of bad weather which has extended into Storm Eva, has severely interrupted ferry services to and from the island resulting in few opportunities for locals to return home for Christmas. Deliveries of post and fresh goods have also been interrupted.

It has been a busy year for Coast Guard helicopters with almost one thousand missions completed to date by the service. This work includes assistance provided to HSE with patient transfer.

Over the Christmas period many people will be engaging in outdoor activities. The Coast Guard is strongly urging the public not to engage in any activity unless they have first checked that it is safe to do so; especially when planning to go on exposed coasts, cliffs, piers, harbour walls, beaches, promenades or other coastal areas.

The Coast Guard wishes to remind the public that if you see anybody in trouble at sea, on the coast or on cliffs to call 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.

#Coastguard - The Air Accident Investigation Unit is conducting an inquiry after it emerged one of two teenagers recovered from the sea off Hook Head last weekend fell from a coastguard helicopter back into the water.

The Irish Times reports that 14-year-old Aoife Winterich died in hospital days after she and three other venture scouts were washed into the sea by a surprise wave during the last remnants of Storm Desmond.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, two of the group managed to swim to shore, but Winterlich and a 15-year-old boy got into difficulty in what the Irish Coast Guard described as "confused" heavy seas.

The boy reportedly kept the unconscious Winterlich afloat until the coastguard's Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117 arrived at the scene, and both were flown to hospital within 17 minutes of the callout.

However, it's been reported that during the winching process, which required both teens to be lifted from the water simultaneously due to the severity of conditions, Winterlich fell out of the rescue strop back into the sea – a drop of some 40 feet, according to Mail Online.

On Monday Scouting Ireland said it was launching its own review into whether there were "things that could have been done to make the trip safer". The Irish Times has more HERE.

#Rescue - Two Irish Coast Guard helicopters battled Storm Desmond to evacuate a crewman from a container ship off the southwest coast yesterday (Friday 4 December).

As UTV News reports, Rescue 117 from Waterford was joined by Rescue 115 from Shannon in the medevac some 160km west of Fastnet Rock at the Swedish-registered MV Atlantic Cartier, where the long-range-specialist Sikorsky S-92 helicopters faced strong gales and heavy seas.

According to TheJournal.ie, the ill crewman, who was reporting chest pains, was airlifted to Cork Airport where he was transferred to an ambulance.

It marks the latest rescue operation for the coastguard helicopter network in a busy 2015, which has seen a record year for Sligo's Rescue 118 in particular.

#Coastguard - The Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter will have completed more than 300 search and rescue missions in 2015 by the end of this month, setting a new record.

And as Helicopter Investor reports, Rescue 118 and the rest of the Sikorsky S-92 fleet based at Shannon, Dublin and Waterford will have completed at least 877 missions between them by year's end.

"We have invested heavily in our four bases in Ireland so that we can offer a safe, reliable service with the highest levels of availability,” said Chris Hodson of CHC Helicopter, contracted to provide coastguard SAR services in Ireland since 2010.