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# ROWING: Ireland’s Claire Lambe had a bronze medal snatched from her in the final stages of the A Final of the lightweight single sculls at the World Under-23 Championships at Trakai in Lithuania this morning. Anna Ioannou of Cyprus came from fourth to pass the Dubliner in the final charge. Alena Kryvaseyenka of Belarus dominated the race, while Sweden's Emma Fred took silver.

Ireland had good results in the B Finals of two other women’s events. Holly Nixon and Laura D’Urso won their B Final (placing seventh overall) and Lisa Dilleen was second in the women’s single sculls B Final (eighth overall). The Galway woman made a great drive right at the finish and missed out on winning by .4 of a second.

World Under-23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania (Irish interest)

Women

Double Scull - B Final (places 7-12): 1 Ireland (L D’Urso, H Nixon) 7:28.40, 2 Switzerland 7:33.73, 3 Germany 7:35.55, 4 United States 7:38.89, 5 Italy 7:43.72, 6 Romania 7:52.93.

Single Scull – B Final (places 7-12): 1 Hungary (K Gyimes) 8:07.40, 2 Ireland (L Dilleen) 8:07.74, 3 Bulgaria (L-M Rusinova) 8:13.74, 4 Netherlands 8:13.79, 5 Poland 8:15.57, 6 France 8:23.58.

Lightweight Single Scull – A Final: 1 Belarus (A Kryvasheyenka) 8:09.34, 2 Sweden (E Fred) 8:19.40, 3 Cyprus (A Ioannou) 8:22.85, 4 Ireland (C Lambe) 8:24.42, 5 Netherlands 8:28.67, 6 South Africa 8:33.66.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The second session of finals on the second day of the Irish Rowing Championships produced two cracking races. Galway Rowing Club won the women’s junior 18 eight final by overhauling Muckross stroke by stroke and then holding off their battling yellow-clad rivals until the line. The men’s senior quadruple sculls produced a surprise victory for the University of Limerick/Castleconnell crew after a similarly gutsy drive which saw them take on and beat Queen’s University.

The final four races were all won by big margins. Claire McIlwaine and Alex Greene gave Queen’s an immediate fillip when they won the women’s senior pair, and Brooke Edgar of Bann in the women’s novice single, Dave Neale of UCD in the intermediate single and Skibbereen in the men’s junior quadruple were all well in charge of their races.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork. Day Two (Selected Results)

Men

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 6:11.27, 2 NUIG 6:15.32, 3 UCD 6:15.42.

Four – Junior, coxed: 1 Portora 6:58.48, 2 Bann 7:02.24, 3 St Joseph’s A 7:02.36.

Pair – Senior: 1 Bann (C Black, J Cassells) 6:52.02, 2 Queen’s (P Gilanders, T Oliver) 6:57.09, 3 St Michael’s A (A McEvoy, M O’Brien) 6:59.86

Sculling, Quadruple – Senior: 1 University of Limerick/Castleconnell (L Rice, S Penny, A Sheehan, D Quinlan) 6:03.59, 2 Queen’s 6:04.28, 3 Carlow 6:04.99. Junior: 1 Skibbereen 6:15.17, 2 Shannon 6:26.55, 3 Cork 6:27.76.

Single – Intermediate: 1 UCD (D Neale) 7:12.01, 2 Portora (Monteith) 7:20.31, 3 Castleconnell (Pidgeon) 7:25.16. Novice: 1 Skibbereen (R O’Neill) 7:54.04, 2 Cappoquin (Landers), 3 Clonmel (Murphy) 7:54.39.

Women

Eight - Junior: 1 Galway RC 6:43.41, 2 Muckross 6:46.40, 3 St Michael’s 7:00.20.

Pair – Senior: 1 Queen’s (C McIwaine, A Greene) 7:29.70, 2 St Michael’s 7:40.64, 3 Cork 7:52.04.

Sculling

Double – Intermediate: 1 Skibbereen (L Connolly, E Cialis) 7:46.82, 2 NUIG 7:49.05, 3 Neptune 7:54.38.

Single – Novice: 1 Bann (Edgar) 8:19.22, 2 Commercial (Foley) 8:31.85, 3 Castleconnell (Donegan) 8:43.83. Junior: 1 Fermoy (H Shinnick) 8:12.60, 2 St Michael’s (K O’Brien) 8:14.64, 3 Portora (Cromie) 8:17.35.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Claire Lambe gave Ireland an A Finalist at the World Under-23 Championships in Lithuania today. The Dubliner finished second in her lightweight single scull semi final.

Ireland’s two other women’s crews will compete in B Finals tomorrow. The double scull of Laura D’Urso and Holly Nixon were edged out by Russia in their semi-final and finished fourth, while Lisa Dilleen finished fifth in the semi-final of the open weight single scull.

World Under-23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania, Day Four (Irish interest)

Men

Four – B Final (Places 7-12): 1 Croatia 6:30.64, 2 Norway 6:34.03, 3 Canada 6:34.42, 4 Czech Republic 6:36.93, 5 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, F Manning, T Lynam) 6:43.49, 6 Ukraine 6:48.40.

Lightweight Pair – B Final (Places 7-12): 1 Argentina 7:39.53, 2 Belarus 7:43.85, 3 Ireland (S O’Driscoll, J Mitchell) 7:46.27.

Women

Double Scull - Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Austria 7:41.52, 2 Belarus 7:43.12, 3 Russia 7:48.57; 4 Ireland (L D’Urso, H Nixon) 7:51.91, 5 Germany 7:54.64, 6 Romania 8:09.87.

Single Scull - Semi-Final Two (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Canada 8:37.30, 2 Britain 8:38.26, 3 Latvia 8:41.18; 4 Netherlands 8:42.82, 5 Ireland (L Dilleen) 9:06.17, 6 France 9: 20.29.

Lightweight Single Scull – Semi-Final One (First Three to A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Sweden (E Fred) 8:48.68, 2 Ireland (C Lambe) 8:54.91, 3 South Africa (K Johnstone) 8:57.92; 4 France 9:02.13, 5 Paraguay 9:09.78, 6 Germany 9:13.09.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The junior pair which will represent Ireland at the World Championships next month today won the senior pairs title at the Irish Rowing Championships. Bann’s Chris Black and Joel Cassells are an excellent crew and they showed it by taking a lead at the National Rowing Centre after 500 metres and never relinquishing it despite pressure from St Michael’s of Limerick.

Hilary Shinnick also held off St Michael’s, represented by Kate O’Brien, to win the junior single sculls’ title. Shinnick is just 17, but it was her second successive title. Shinnick will be part of a junior quadruple at the Worlds, while O'Brien will compete in a single scull.

The junior men’s coxed fours went to Portora of Enniskillen, while Skibbereen conitinued to notch up titles – Rory O’Neill took the novice single sculls crown, while Laura Connolly and Ella Cialis took the women’s intermediate double scull.

Trinity continued their good form with a win in the men’s intermediate eights.

Irish Rowing Championships, National Rowing Centre, Cork. Day Two, First Session (Selected Results)

Men,

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 6:11.27, 2 NUIG 6:15.32, 3 UCD 6:15.42.

Four – Junior, coxed: 1 Portora 6:58.48, 2 Bann 7:02.24, 3 St Joseph’s A 7:02.36.

Pair – Senior: 1 Bann (C Black, J Cassells) 6:52.02, 2 Queen’s (P Gilanders, T Oliver) 6:57.09, 3 St Michael’s A (A McEvoy, M O’Brien) 6:59.86

Sculling, Single – Novice: 1 Skibbereen (R O’Neill) 7:54.04, 2 Cappoquin (Landers), 3 Clonmel (Murphy) 7:54.39.

Women

Sculling, Double – Intermediate: 1 Skibbereen (L Connolly, E Cialis) 7:46.82, 2 NUIG 7:49.05, 3 Neptune 7:54.38.

Single – Junior: 1 Fermoy (H Shinnick) 8:12.60, 2 St Michael’s (K O’Brien) 8:14.64, 3 Portora (Cromie) 8:17.35.

Published in Rowing

#ROWING: Ireland’s Jonny Mitchell and Shane O’Driscoll finished third in the B Final of the lightweight pair at the World Under-23 Championships in Lithuania. This placed them ninth overall. Argentina, who disputed the lead with Switzerland in the first half of the race, took over in the second, as Switzerland faded. Belarus came through to take second.

The men’s four finished fifth in their B Final (11th overall) in a race won by Croatia. Norway, disputing fourth with Ireland until the final quarter, finished well and took second.

World Under-23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania

Men

Four – B Final (Places 7-12): 1 Croatia 6:30.64, 2 Norway 6:34.03, 3 Canada 6:34.42, 4 Czech Republic 6:36.93, 5 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, F Manning, T Lynam) 6:43.49, 6 Ukraine 6:48.40.

Lightweight Pair – B Final (Places 7-12): 1 Argentina 7:39.53, 2 Belarus 7:43.85, 3 Ireland (S O’Driscoll, J Mitchell) 7:46.27.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Grainne Mhaol had a surprisingly easy win the men’s senior four final at the Irish Championships at the National Rowing Centre in Cork. The crew of Dave Mannion, Alan Martin, Cormac Folan and James Wall led down the course. St Michael’s were second.

The junior men’s eight title also went to Galway, in the form of St Joseph’s, and the junior women’s four was won impressively by Muckross. Queen’s University took the men’s novice eight crown, and Three Castles had plenty to spare in the women’s senior double. Niall Kenny of UCC is the new Ireland champion in the lightweight single scull.

Irish Rowing Championships, Sponsored by SuperValu – Day One (Selected Results; Finals)

Men, Eight – Novice: 1 Queen’s University, Belfast 6:04.55, 2 UCD 6:10.94, 3 Trinity 6:16.26. Junior: 1 St Joseph’s College, Galway 6:03.87, 2 Methodist College, Belfast 6:10.72, 3 Galway RC 6:15.28.

Four – Senior: 1 Grainne Mhaol (D Mannion, A Martin, C Folan, James Wall) 6:19.06, 2 St Michael’s 6:22.35, 3 Queen’s 6:27.21.

Four, coxed – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 6:33.15, 2 NUIG A 6:33.74, 3 Bann 6:35.47.

Sculling, Quadruple – Novice, coxed: 1 Galway 6:55.56, 2 Shandon 6:58.56, 3 NUIG 7:57.82.

Double – Senior: 1 Queen’s (C Williamson, R O’Connor) 6:41.29, 2 Carlow 6:43.83, 3 University of Limerick 6:54.88.

Single – Lightweight: 1 UCC (Kenny) 7:20.40, 2 St Michael’s (O’Connor) 7:35.61, 3 Skibbereen (Burns) 7:35.73. Junior: 1 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:19.67, 2 Castleconnell (Quinlan), 3 Neptune (Griffin).

Women

Eight – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 6:44,80, 2 UCD 6:45.0, 3 St Michael’s 6:53.50.

Four - Senior: 1 Skibbereen (G Hosford, C Fitzgerald, D Walsh, S Dineen) 7:01.98, 2 Queen’s 7:11.86, 3 UCD 7:14.21. Junior: 1 Muckross 7:18.76, 2 Bann, 3 Galway.

Four, coxed – Novice: 1 NUIG 7:41.38, 2 Trinity 7:44.07, 3 University of Limerick 7:51.97.

Sculling, Double – Senior: 1 Three Castles (H Walshe, E Moran) 7:13.79, 2 Skibbereen 7:24.60. Junior: 1 Belfast BC (L Litvack, B Jacques) 7:36.55. 2 Neptune 7:50.63, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:59.40.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Ireland’s two men’s crews at the World Under-23 Championships in Lithuania could not force their way into the top three in their semi-finals and will compete in B Finals tomorrow. The lightweight pair of Jonny Mitchell and Shane O’Donovan finished fourth in a fast race and the open weight four were fifth, off the pace in the second half of their semi-final.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Day Three (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Semi-Final One (First Three To A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Germany 6:07.72, 2 Australia 6:09.42, 3 United States 6:11.14; 4 Canada 6:15.15, 5 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, F Manning, T Lynam) 6:24.15, 6 Ukraine 6:25.91

Lightweight Pair – Semi-Final One (First Three To A Final; rest to B Final): 1 Italy 6:57.34, 2 Germany 7:00.08, 3 Hong Kong 7:00.45; 4 Ireland 7:13.55, 5 Lithuania 7:24.78, 6 United States 7:29.70.

Women

Lightweight Single Scull – Repechage Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (C Lambe) 8:19.32, 2 Israel 8:23.22; 3 Czech Republic 8:28.19, 4 United States 8:35.35.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: The first session of the Irish Rowing Championships, run in almost perfect conditions at the National Rowing Centre in Cork, finished with some terrific finals.

 The closest race was the shootout between NUIG and Trinity in the men’s intermediate coxed four. NUIG had taken over the lead from Trinity and led as the crews charged for the line. But Trinity upped the rate and took the title on the line. Earlier, NUIG had reversed the order as they took the women’s novice coxed four, with Trinity second.

There were a string of impressive wins in senior and junior classes. At senior level the Skibbereen women’s four took their third successive title with ease, and the Queen’s double of Colin Williamson and Rory O’Connor matched the feat. The junior women’s double of Lucie Litvack and Bridget Jacques and single sculler Paul O’Donovan also demonstrated their skills with classy wins.

 

Irish Rowing Championships – Day One (Selected Results; Finals)

Men

Four, coxed – Intermediate: 1 Trinity 6:33.15, 2 NUIG A 6:33.74, 3 Bann 6:35.47.

Sculling, Double – Senior: 1 Queen’s (C Williamson, R O’Connor) 6:41.29, 2 Carlow 6:43.83, 3 University of Limerick 6:54.88.

Single – Junior: 1 Skibbereen (P O’Donovan) 7:19.67, 2 Castleconnell (Quinlan), 3 Neptune (Griffin).

Women

Four - Senior: 1 Skibbereen (G Hosford, C Fitzgerald, D Walsh, S Dineen) 7:01.98, 2 Queen’s 7:11.86, 3 UCD 7:14.21.

Four, coxed – Novice: 1 NUIG 7:41.38, 2 Trinity 7:44.07, 3 University of Limerick 7:51.97.

Sculling, Double – Junior: 1 Belfast BC (L Litvack, B Jacques) 7:36.55. 2 Neptune 7:50.63, 3 Carrick-on-Shannon 7:59.40.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Claire Lambe won her repechage at the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Lithuania to become the fifth of the five Ireland crews to qualify for the A/B semi-finals. The Dubliner led down the course and had almost four seconds to spare over Chen Oshri of Israel, who also qualified.

World Under-23 Rowing Championships, Day Three (Irish interest)

Women

Lightweight Single Scull – Repechage Three (First Two to A/B Semi-Finals): 1 Ireland (C Lambe) 8:19.32, 2 Israel 8:23.22; 3 Czech Republic 8:28.19, 4 United States 8:35.35.

Published in Rowing

# ROWING: Two more Ireland boats moved into the semi-finals of the World Under-23 Rowing Championships in Trakai in Lithuania today. The lightweight pair of Jonny Mitchell and Shane O’Driscoll won their repechage by leading virtually all the way, while the men’s four came close to matching the feat, finishing second. They won a battle with Norway but were pipped by Ukraine, who mounted a surprise late charge, having been in third for much of the 2,000 metres. All three crews qualified.

World Under-23 Championships, Trakai, Lithuania, Day Two (Irish interest)

Men

Four – Repechage (First Three to A/B Semi-Final): 1 Ukraine 6:12.88, 2 Ireland (E Mullarkey, S O’Connor, F Manning, T Lynam) 6:16.64, 3 Norway 6:18.89; 4 Lithuania 6:24.74.

Lightweight Pair – Repechage (First Three to A/B Semi-Final): Ireland (S O’Driscoll, J Mitchell) 6:51.24, 2 Switzerland 6:51.89, 3 Lithuania 6:55.97; 4 Croatia 7:03.13

Women

Double Scull – Heat Three (First Three directly to A/B Semi-Final; rest to repechage): 1 Austria (M Lobnig, L Farthofer) 7:24.99, 2 France 7:29.62, Ireland (L D’Urso, H Nixon) 7:31.90; 4 Romania 7:42.91, 5 Croatia 7:47.31

Single Scull – Heat One (First Two Directly to A/B Semi-Final; rest to repechage): 1 Denmark (R Quist) 7:49.16, 2 Ireland (L Dilleen) 7:54.72; 3 United States 7:59.12, 4 Belgium 8:05.15, 5 France 8:08.88.

Lightweight Single Scull – Heat One (First directly to A/B Semi-Final, rest to repechage): 1 Cyprus (A Ioannou) 8:07.34, 2 Ireland (C Lambe) 8:12.84.

Published in Rowing
Page 5 of 13

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