Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: National Championships

#j109 – Perhaps the fact J109s race for IRC handicap honours as part of the ICRA national championships and separately for the class national championship title may have contributed to wires getting crossed at last weekend's Sovereign's Cup and ICRA Nationals event in Kinsale.

Irish J109 fans are currently on a high with Royal Corks' Jelly Baby winning the UK National Championships and the National Yacht Club's Ruth winning offshore in the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race but after another good showing of the class last weekend (first and third for Js in ICRA Div one) there was confusion over the status of the Irish championship when Kinsale Yacht Club declared Joker II the winner of the J109 national championships. [See KYC press release HERE].

John Maybury's Joker II won the ICRA division one crown off Kinsale in fine style, but J109 class captain Martin Carey has been quick to point out the 2015 J109 National Championships – a season highlight – has not yet been sailed. The J109 Irish championships will be sailed next week as part of Dun Laoghaire Regatta. 'The Nationals are part of Volvo Dun Laoghaire, they always were going to be, as we get our own start,' Carey told Afloat.ie

Published in Racing

UCD are the new Irish men’s senior eights champions. In extremely difficult conditions at the National Rowing Championships in Cork, the big crew saw off an early challenge by Queen’s University and a late charge by NUIG/Grainne Mhaol to win their first Big Pot in 38 years.

The UCD women’s senior eight completed a great day for the college when they beat Muckross in their final.

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork -  Day Three

Men

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD (S Craven, P Grogan, D Pierce, D Neale, F Manning, S Jacob, G Duane, T Doyle; cox: J Lynch) 5:39.5, 2 NUIG/Grainne Mhaol 5:41.8, 3 Queen’s University 5:44.2, 4 Trinity 6:08.7.

Four – Novice, coxed: 1 NUIG, 2 Cappoquin, 3 UCC.

Pair – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University (A Little, K Duffy) 6:58.4, 2 NUIG 8:03.9, 3 Carlow 7:01.1. Junior 18A: 1 Bann 6:53.2, 2 St Joseph’s College  6:57.1, 3 Presentation College 7:06.9.

 Sculling, Quadruple – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell 6:06.2, 2 Skibbereen 6:12.0, 3 Offaly 6:12.8. Junior 16, coxed (non-Championship): 1 Galway 6:45.4, 2 Tribesmen 6:48.0, 3 Cork 6:51.8

Double – Intermediate: 1 Carlow 6:40.5, 2 Skibbereen 6:41.0, 3 Queen’s 6:55.0.

Single – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey) 6:56.0, 2 Skibbereen A (P O’Donovan) 6:56.5, 3 Muckross (C Moynihan) 7:20.8, 4 Skibbereen (Murphy) 7:28.3, 5 Skibbereen (McCarthy) 7:37.0. Lee Valley (Keohane) did not start.

Women

Eight – Senior: 1 UCD (C Tanner, K Joy, C Ni Reachtagain, N Fearon, S Bennett, L Gannon, L Reid, A Gilligan; cox: E Craven) 6:29.9, 2 Muckross 6:34.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:38.6, 4 NUIG 6:40.5, 5 Queen’s 6:42.2, 6 Trinity 7:07.8.

Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University 6:33.8, 2 Trinity 6:41.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:44.2. Novice: 1 Galway 6:42.6, 2 Queen’s 6:50.2, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:01.5. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway 6:49.2, 2 Cork 6:59.6, 3 Portora 7:09.0.

Pair – Junior 18: 1 St Michael’s 7:43.9, 2 Portora 7:52.4, 3 Commercial 8:41.3.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice: 1 Commercial 7:56.3, 2 Neptune 8:06.0, 3 Clonmel 8:11.9. Junior 18A: 1 Skibbereen 6:58.7, 2 Cork 7:05.5, 3 Neptune 7:13.5.

Single – Senior: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso) 7:56.5, 2 Three Castles (E Moran) 8:10.9, 3 Portora (H Nixon) 8:20.4, 4 Three Castles (Quinn) 8:28.6, 5 Old Collegians (Walshe) 9:08.7.  Killorglin (M Dukarska) did not finish. Intermediate: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso), 2 Skibbereen (Walsh), 3 Shandon (Corcoran-O’Hare).

 

Published in Rowing

Windy conditions and choppy water played their part in three capsizes in the first session of finals at the National Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. By far the most important befell Monika Dukarska, who was leading just metres short of the line in the women’s senior single sculls when she missed a stroke and fell in. Laura D’Urso capitalised to take the title.

Sean Casey took the men’s senior sculls title after a fine race down the choppy course with Paul O’Donovan. Queen’s won the women’s intermediate eight and the men’s intermediate pair – in which Trinity (before the race) and Carlow (at the end of it) both capsized. 

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork -  Day Three

Men

Pair – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University (A Little, K Duffy) 6:58.4, 2 NUIG 8:03.9, 3 Carlow 7:01.1.

Sculling, Quadruple – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell 6:06.2, 2 Skibbereen 6:12.0, 3 Offaly 6:12.8.

Single – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey) 6:56.0, 2 Skibbereen A (P O’Donovan) 6:56.5, 3 Muckross (C Moynihan) 7:20.8, 4 Skibbereen (Murphy) 7:28.3, 5 Skibbereen (McCarthy) 7:37.0. Lee Valley (Keohane) did not start. 

Women

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s University 6:33.8, 2 Trinity 6:41.1, 3 St Michael’s 6:44.2. Novice: 1 Galway 6:42.6, 2 Queen’s 6:50.2, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:01.5.

Pair – Junior 18: 1 St Michael’s 7:43.9, 2 Portora 7:52.4, 3 Commercial 8:41.3.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice: 1 Commercial 7:56.3, 2 Neptune 8:06.0, 3 Clonmel 8:11.9.

Single – Senior: 1 City of Derry (L D’Urso) 7:56.5, 2 Three Castles (E Moran) 8:10.9, 3 Portora (H Nixon) 8:20.4, 4 Three Castles (Quinn) 8:28.6, 5 Old Collegians (Walshe) 9:08.7.  Killorglin (M Dukarska) did not finish.

Published in Rowing

Skibbereen brought their titles up to five for the first two days of the National Rowing Championships in Cork by taking the women’s senior pair through Christine Fitzerald and Denise Walsh and combining with Lee Valley to win the men’s senior quadruple scull. The women’s Junior 18A eight was an emphatic win for St Michael’s, and Sarah Allen of Bann, who is just 16, was also in commanding form as she won the women’s novice single sculls championship.

The main action of the day ended with Anthony English of UCD taking the men’s intermediate single scull and Castleconnell’s Dylan Quigley and Adrian Sheahan taking the men’s junior 18A double scull.

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork – Day Two

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s 6:00.1, 2 Trinity 6:01.7, 3 Neptune 6:05.5.

Four, coxed – Junior 18A: 1 Bann 6:33.5, 2 St Joseph’s College 6:41.8, 3 Portora 6:47.6. Masters, coxed (non-Championship): 1 Commercial/City of Derry, 2 Fermoy, 3 Galway RC.

Pair – Senior: 1 Queen’s (E Mac Domhnaill, M Ewing) 6:56.7, 2 Grainne Mhaol 7:01.1, 3 St Michael’s 7:01.7, 4 Queen’s B 7:12.9, 5 Galway B 7:15.0, 6 Galway A 7:52.7.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Skibbereen/Lee Valley (G O’Donovan, G Murphy, K McCarthy, C Dowling) 6:05.1, 2 Queen’s 6:07.2, 3 University of Limerick/Garda 6:09.7.

Double – Junior: 1 Castleconnell (D Quigley, A Sheahan) 6:37.4, 2 Lee 6:44.2, 3 Commercial 6:45.7.

Single – Intermediate: 1 UCD (A English) 7:17.8, 2 Skibbereen 7:27.9, 3 Neptune 7:31.0. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Cork (D Buckley) 7:38.1, 2 Offaly (Phelan) 7:38.6, 3 Cork 7:50.4.

Women

Eight – Junior 18A: 1 St Michael’s 6:49.3, 2 Cork 7:00.3, 3 Portora 7:03.6.

Pair – Senior: 1 Skibbereen (C Fitzgerald, D Walsh) 7:53.0, 2 Commercial 8:02.8, 3 St Michael’s 8:03.6.

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Skibbereen 6:51.2, 2 Old Collegians/Three Castles 6:51.7, 3 St Michael’s 7:14.5. Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway 7:27.1, 2 Commercial 7:39.1, 3 Muckross 7:49.3.

Double – Intermediate: 1 Commercial 7:35.1, 2 Skibbereen 7:40.0, 3 Garda 8:17.0.

Single – Novice: 1 Bann (S Allen) 8:43.2, 2 Shandon (R Mertz) 8:47.9, 3 Queen’s (H Adley) 8:50.7. Junior 18A: 1 Fermoy (H Shinnick) 8:05.9, 2 Skibbereen (M Dineen) 8:10.7, 3 Portora (K Cromie) 8:19.7.

Published in Rowing

The rain came to the National Rowing Centre yesterday, but the good racing at the National Rowing Championships continued – and there was even a raging controversy as UCD’ s  men’s intermediate eight was disqualified from the semi-finals after the cox turned up four minutes late for her weigh-in. UCD maintain that she should have been allowed leeway because she had reported earlier but was told to return with a registration card. In  the final, Queen’s took the title, with Trinity second.

The most exciting race of the first session was in the women’s senior quadruple sculls, where Skibbereen passed a faltering Old Collegians/Three Castles crew in the closing stages and won by half a second. Bann and Commercial were more comfortable winners of the men’s junior 18 coxed fours and the women’s intermediate double sculls, but the most emphatic winner was Hilary Shinnick int the women’s junior 18A single sculls – and the Fermoy girl turned 16 in March.

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork – Day Two

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Queen’s 6:00.1, 2 Trinity 6:01.7, 3 Neptune 6:05.5.

Four, coxed – Junior 18A: 1 Bann 6:33.5, 2 St Joseph’s College 6:41.8, 3 Portora 6:47.6.

Pair – Senior: 1 Queen’s (E Mac Domhnaill, M Ewing) 6:56.7, 2 Grainne Mhaol 7:01.1, 3 St Michael’s 7:01.7, 4 Queen’s B 7:12.9, 5 Galway B 7:15.0, 6 Galway A 7:52.7.

Women

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 Skibbereen 6:51.2, 2 Old Collegians/Three Castles 6:51.7, 3 St Michael’s 7:14.5.

Double – Intermediate: 1 Commercial 7:35.1, 2 Skibbereen 7:40.0, 3 Garda 8:17.0.

Single – Junior 18A: 1 Fermoy (H Shinnick) 8:05.9, 2 Skibbereen (M Dineen) 8:10.7, 3 Portora (K Cromie) 8:19.7.

Published in Rowing

Cork and Kerry took the first senior prizes on offer at the National Rowing Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork today. The Skibbereen senior women’s four of Orla Hayes, Christine Fitzgerald, Denise Walsh and Michelle (Shelly) Dineen had plenty to spare over Queen’s in their final, while Sean Casey and Cathal Moynihan of Muckross won the men’s senior double, also from Queen’s.

 Kerryman Neil Prendeville, who rows with Castleconnell, continued the trend when he won the junior single scull from clubmate Adrian Sheehan.   The women's junior double scull was won by Jenny Russell and Katie Cromie from Enniskillen club Portora. 

National Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Farran Wood, Cork

Day One

Men

Eight – Junior 16 (non-Championship): 1 Galway RC, 2 St Joseph’s College, 3 Cork RC.

Four, Intermediate, coxed: 1 UCD 6:26.3, 2 Queen’s  6:29.5, 3 Neptune 6:33.3

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice, coxed: 1 Shandon 6:54.5,  Queen’s 6:58.3, 3 St Michael’s 7:02.1.

Double – Senior: 1 Muckross (S Casey, C Moynihan) 6:30.8, 2 Queen’s 6:31.7, 3 Lee Valley 6:36.3, 4 Skibbereen 6:41.8, 5 Galway 6:48.9.

Single – Junior 18A: 1 Castleconnell (N Prendiville) 7:21.6, 2 Castleconnell (A Sheehan), 7:24.0, 3 Neptune (Griffin) 7:29.6.

Women 

Four – Senior: 1 Skibbereen (O Hayes, C Fitzgerald, D Walsh, M Dineen) 6:51.5, 2 Queen’s 6:58.5, 3 Muckross 6:58.9, 4 UCD 7:07.9, 5 Trinity 7:09.0, 6 NUIG 7:30.7. Novice, coxed: 1 NUIG 7:23.4, 2 Galway 7:24.7, 3 Queen’s A 7:38.2.

 

Sculling, Double – Junior 18A: 1 Portora (J Russell, K Cromie) 7:35.6, 2 Skibbereen 7:45.8, 3 Methodist College RC 7:52.6.

Published in Rowing
Irish Match Racing is covering its national championships tack by tack. Click the link below to follow today's racing in Kinsale! National Match Racing Championships
Published in Match Racing
Royal Cork Yacht Club hosted the 2010 National Championships of the 420 class last weekend. Principal Race Officer for the event, which was sailed out of Cuskinny in Cork harbour was Richard Leonard.

There was an abundance of sailing talent at the start line and Saturday's sailing took place in 15 to 20kts of breeze with Rob Lehane and Andrew O'Donoghue taking the overnight lead from Richie Harrington and Robbie English with Emma Geary and Niamh Connolly third in a fleet of sixteen boats.

Day two was back to Cuskinny with light north westerlies and saw Jane Butler and Jenny Andreason taking the first race. Emma and Niamh won the fifth race and Cian O'Regan (KYC) and Scott Flanigan (Howth YC) took the final race thus winning the National Title. Rob Lehane was second with Emma and Niamh taking third position and First Girls Boat.

420 National Championships 2010 

1 53156 Cian O'Regan M Scott Flanigan M 13 2 4 9 4 2 1

2 ROB Rob Lehane M Andrew O'Donoghue M 15 1 1 4 5 4 5
3 53698 Emma Geary F Niamh Connolly F 16 3 7 2 10 1 3
4 53578 Richard Harrington M Robbie English M 17 6 2 1 2 7 6
5 53160 Jane Butler F Jennifer Andreason F 18 4 3 7 1 6 4
6 53576 Diana Kissane F Hazel O'Neill 22 14 6 3 3 3 7
7 53836 Aodh Kennedy M Daniel Browne M 33 14 8 5 7 5 8
8 52227 Eoghan Cudmore M Jack Hogan M 33 7 5 6 6 10 9
9 53116 Fiona Daly F Patrick Daly M 38 12 14 8 8 8 2
10 2 Tara Flood F Lucy Bolger F 49 9 12 11 9 9 11
11 53206 Muirean Guilfoyle F Eimer O'Leary F 53 8 9 13 15 11 12
12 52684 Dermot McMorrough M Ali Dix F 54 10 10 10 12 12 13
13 53103 Richard Roberts M Grattan Roberts M 55 5 14 15 11 15 10
14 52235 John Durcan M Vikki Cudmore F 64 11 15 12 13 13 15
15 5357 Seafra Guilfoyle M Philip Brownlow M 66 13 11 14 14 14 14

 

Published in Racing

The 3 sponsored Irish Optimist Nationals got underway today in Dunmore East in County Waterford. A total of 234 boats raced two races in light to moderate North West breezes, remaining steady for the day. Provisional results after 2 races:

Senior: 1st Peter McCann, RCYC, 2nd Aran Hollowell, UK.
Junior: 1st Daire Cournane, RCYC/KYC; 2nd Fergus Flood, HYC.
Regatta: 1st Michael O'Suilleabhain, KYC, 2nd Amy Carroll.

Photos below by Noel Browne

_OS_2512

_U8K8874

_U8K8900

 

More on the forum HERE

 

Published in Optimist

The Irish Coast Guard

The Irish Coast Guard is Ireland's fourth 'Blue Light' service (along with An Garda Síochána, the Ambulance Service and the Fire Service). It provides a nationwide maritime emergency organisation as well as a variety of services to shipping and other government agencies.

The purpose of the Irish Coast Guard is to promote safety and security standards, and by doing so, prevent as far as possible, the loss of life at sea, and on inland waters, mountains and caves, and to provide effective emergency response services and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The Irish Coast Guard has responsibility for Ireland's system of marine communications, surveillance and emergency management in Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and certain inland waterways.

It is responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue and counter-pollution and ship casualty operations. It also has responsibility for vessel traffic monitoring.

Operations in respect of maritime security, illegal drug trafficking, illegal migration and fisheries enforcement are co-ordinated by other bodies within the Irish Government.

On average, each year, the Irish Coast Guard is expected to:

  • handle 3,000 marine emergencies
  • assist 4,500 people and save about 200 lives
  • task Coast Guard helicopters on missions

The Coast Guard has been around in some form in Ireland since 1908.

Coast Guard helicopters

The Irish Coast Guard has contracted five medium-lift Sikorsky Search and Rescue helicopters deployed at bases in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo.

The helicopters are designated wheels up from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours and 45 minutes at night. One aircraft is fitted and its crew trained for under slung cargo operations up to 3000kgs and is available on short notice based at Waterford.

These aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains of Ireland (32 counties).

They can also be used for assistance in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and aerial surveillance during daylight hours, lifting and passenger operations and other operations as authorised by the Coast Guard within appropriate regulations.

Irish Coastguard FAQs

The Irish Coast Guard provides nationwide maritime emergency response, while also promoting safety and security standards. It aims to prevent the loss of life at sea, on inland waters, on mountains and in caves; and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The main role of the Irish Coast Guard is to rescue people from danger at sea or on land, to organise immediate medical transport and to assist boats and ships within the country's jurisdiction. It has three marine rescue centres in Dublin, Malin Head, Co Donegal, and Valentia Island, Co Kerry. The Dublin National Maritime Operations centre provides marine search and rescue responses and coordinates the response to marine casualty incidents with the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Yes, effectively, it is the fourth "blue light" service. The Marine Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC) Valentia is the contact point for the coastal area between Ballycotton, Co Cork and Clifden, Co Galway. At the same time, the MRSC Malin Head covers the area between Clifden and Lough Foyle. Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) Dublin covers Carlingford Lough, Co Louth to Ballycotton, Co Cork. Each MRCC/MRSC also broadcasts maritime safety information on VHF and MF radio, including navigational and gale warnings, shipping forecasts, local inshore forecasts, strong wind warnings and small craft warnings.

The Irish Coast Guard handles about 3,000 marine emergencies annually, and assists 4,500 people - saving an estimated 200 lives, according to the Department of Transport. In 2016, Irish Coast Guard helicopters completed 1,000 missions in a single year for the first time.

Yes, Irish Coast Guard helicopters evacuate medical patients from offshore islands to hospital on average about 100 times a year. In September 2017, the Department of Health announced that search and rescue pilots who work 24-hour duties would not be expected to perform any inter-hospital patient transfers. The Air Corps flies the Emergency Aeromedical Service, established in 2012 and using an AW139 twin-engine helicopter. Known by its call sign "Air Corps 112", it airlifted its 3,000th patient in autumn 2020.

The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which is responsible for the Northern Irish coast.

The Irish Coast Guard is a State-funded service, with both paid management personnel and volunteers, and is under the auspices of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is allocated approximately 74 million euro annually in funding, some 85 per cent of which pays for a helicopter contract that costs 60 million euro annually. The overall funding figure is "variable", an Oireachtas committee was told in 2019. Other significant expenditure items include volunteer training exercises, equipment, maintenance, renewal, and information technology.

The Irish Coast Guard has four search and rescue helicopter bases at Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo, run on a contract worth 50 million euro annually with an additional 10 million euro in costs by CHC Ireland. It provides five medium-lift Sikorsky S-92 helicopters and trained crew. The 44 Irish Coast Guard coastal units with 1,000 volunteers are classed as onshore search units, with 23 of the 44 units having rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) and 17 units having cliff rescue capability. The Irish Coast Guard has 60 buildings in total around the coast, and units have search vehicles fitted with blue lights, all-terrain vehicles or quads, first aid equipment, generators and area lighting, search equipment, marine radios, pyrotechnics and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Community Rescue Boats Ireland also provide lifeboats and crews to assist in search and rescue. The Irish Coast Guard works closely with the Garda Siochána, National Ambulance Service, Naval Service and Air Corps, Civil Defence, while fishing vessels, ships and other craft at sea offer assistance in search operations.

The helicopters are designated as airborne from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours, and 45 minutes at night. The aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, on inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains and cover the 32 counties. They can also assist in flooding, major inland emergencies, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and can transport offshore firefighters and ambulance teams. The Irish Coast Guard volunteers units are expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time of departing from the station house in ten minutes from notification during daylight and 20 minutes at night. They are also expected to achieve a 90 per cent response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by day and 75 minutes at night, subject to geographical limitations.

Units are managed by an officer-in-charge (three stripes on the uniform) and a deputy officer in charge (two stripes). Each team is trained in search skills, first aid, setting up helicopter landing sites and a range of maritime skills, while certain units are also trained in cliff rescue.

Volunteers receive an allowance for time spent on exercises and call-outs. What is the difference between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI? The RNLI is a registered charity which has been saving lives at sea since 1824, and runs a 24/7 volunteer lifeboat service around the British and Irish coasts. It is a declared asset of the British Maritime and Coast Guard Agency and the Irish Coast Guard. Community Rescue Boats Ireland is a community rescue network of volunteers under the auspices of Water Safety Ireland.

No, it does not charge for rescue and nor do the RNLI or Community Rescue Boats Ireland.

The marine rescue centres maintain 19 VHF voice and DSC radio sites around the Irish coastline and a digital paging system. There are two VHF repeater test sites, four MF radio sites and two NAVTEX transmitter sites. Does Ireland have a national search and rescue plan? The first national search and rescue plan was published in July, 2019. It establishes the national framework for the overall development, deployment and improvement of search and rescue services within the Irish Search and Rescue Region and to meet domestic and international commitments. The purpose of the national search and rescue plan is to promote a planned and nationally coordinated search and rescue response to persons in distress at sea, in the air or on land.

Yes, the Irish Coast Guard is responsible for responding to spills of oil and other hazardous substances with the Irish pollution responsibility zone, along with providing an effective response to marine casualties and monitoring or intervening in marine salvage operations. It provides and maintains a 24-hour marine pollution notification at the three marine rescue centres. It coordinates exercises and tests of national and local pollution response plans.

The first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to die on duty was Caitriona Lucas, a highly trained member of the Doolin Coast Guard unit, while assisting in a search for a missing man by the Kilkee unit in September 2016. Six months later, four Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew – Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith -died when their Sikorsky S-92 struck Blackrock island off the Mayo coast on March 14, 2017. The Dublin-based Rescue 116 crew were providing "top cover" or communications for a medical emergency off the west coast and had been approaching Blacksod to refuel. Up until the five fatalities, the Irish Coast Guard recorded that more than a million "man hours" had been spent on more than 30,000 rescue missions since 1991.

Several investigations were initiated into each incident. The Marine Casualty Investigation Board was critical of the Irish Coast Guard in its final report into the death of Caitriona Lucas, while a separate Health and Safety Authority investigation has been completed, but not published. The Air Accident Investigation Unit final report into the Rescue 116 helicopter crash has not yet been published.

The Irish Coast Guard in its present form dates back to 1991, when the Irish Marine Emergency Service was formed after a campaign initiated by Dr Joan McGinley to improve air/sea rescue services on the west Irish coast. Before Irish independence, the British Admiralty was responsible for a Coast Guard (formerly the Water Guard or Preventative Boat Service) dating back to 1809. The West Coast Search and Rescue Action Committee was initiated with a public meeting in Killybegs, Co Donegal, in 1988 and the group was so effective that a Government report was commissioned, which recommended setting up a new division of the Department of the Marine to run the Marine Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (MRCC), then based at Shannon, along with the existing coast radio service, and coast and cliff rescue. A medium-range helicopter base was established at Shannon within two years. Initially, the base was served by the Air Corps.

The first director of what was then IMES was Capt Liam Kirwan, who had spent 20 years at sea and latterly worked with the Marine Survey Office. Capt Kirwan transformed a poorly funded voluntary coast and cliff rescue service into a trained network of cliff and sea rescue units – largely voluntary, but with paid management. The MRCC was relocated from Shannon to an IMES headquarters at the then Department of the Marine (now Department of Transport) in Leeson Lane, Dublin. The coast radio stations at Valentia, Co Kerry, and Malin Head, Co Donegal, became marine rescue-sub-centres.

The current director is Chris Reynolds, who has been in place since August 2007 and was formerly with the Naval Service. He has been seconded to the head of mission with the EUCAP Somalia - which has a mandate to enhance Somalia's maritime civilian law enforcement capacity – since January 2019.

  • Achill, Co. Mayo
  • Ardmore, Co. Waterford
  • Arklow, Co. Wicklow
  • Ballybunion, Co. Kerry
  • Ballycotton, Co. Cork
  • Ballyglass, Co. Mayo
  • Bonmahon, Co. Waterford
  • Bunbeg, Co. Donegal
  • Carnsore, Co. Wexford
  • Castlefreake, Co. Cork
  • Castletownbere, Co. Cork
  • Cleggan, Co. Galway
  • Clogherhead, Co. Louth
  • Costelloe Bay, Co. Galway
  • Courtown, Co. Wexford
  • Crosshaven, Co. Cork
  • Curracloe, Co. Wexford
  • Dingle, Co. Kerry
  • Doolin, Co. Clare
  • Drogheda, Co. Louth
  • Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
  • Dunmore East, Co. Waterford
  • Fethard, Co. Wexford
  • Glandore, Co. Cork
  • Glenderry, Co. Kerry
  • Goleen, Co. Cork
  • Greencastle, Co. Donegal
  • Greenore, Co. Louth
  • Greystones, Co. Wicklow
  • Guileen, Co. Cork
  • Howth, Co. Dublin
  • Kilkee, Co. Clare
  • Killala, Co. Mayo
  • Killybegs, Co. Donegal
  • Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford
  • Knightstown, Co. Kerry
  • Mulroy, Co. Donegal
  • North Aran, Co. Galway
  • Old Head Of Kinsale, Co. Cork
  • Oysterhaven, Co. Cork
  • Rosslare, Co. Wexford
  • Seven Heads, Co. Cork
  • Skerries, Co. Dublin Summercove, Co. Cork
  • Toe Head, Co. Cork
  • Tory Island, Co. Donegal
  • Tramore, Co. Waterford
  • Waterville, Co. Kerry
  • Westport, Co. Mayo
  • Wicklow
  • Youghal, Co. Cork

Sources: Department of Transport © Afloat 2020