An historic West Cork lifeboat station is set to officially name a new Shannon class lifeboat 'Val Adnams' during a ceremony at 1:45 pm on Saturday, September 9. The guest of honour on the day will be Val Adnams herself, who is travelling all the way from America for the event. Val is the main donor for the new Shannon lifeboat, which will be named in her honour. The Courtmacsherry RNLI is home to the new lifeboat and is one of the oldest stations in the Institution.
Val Adnams is a lifelong supporter of the RNLI and an avid sailor and sportsperson. She grew up in Preston and Weymouth and developed a deep respect and admiration for the RNLI as she witnessed the callouts of the local Weymouth Lifeboat, which went to the help of others in distress at sea. Val moved to Washington DC when she was 23 and worked on Capitol Hill for some years before meeting her partner Ed and settling in Idaho.
Val will be accompanied by members of her family for this special occasion. The lifeboat was also partly funded by generous legacies from Mrs. Sylvia Anne Walker and Mrs Petrina Johnson. A plaque recording these bequests has already been mounted inside the lifeboat.
The Shannon class lifeboat is named after an Irish river in recognition of the service of the Irish lifeboat crews down through the years. This is the first RNLI lifeboat to be named after an Irish river. The arrival of the new lifeboat marks the beginning of a new chapter, as it is the eleventh lifeboat to be stationed in Courtmacsherry since the arrival of “The Plenty” in 1825. The lifeboat is jet-driven, which provides it with increased manoeuvrability.
Brian O'Dwyer, Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, expressed his excitement ahead of the lifeboat naming ceremony. He said, "We are looking forward to welcoming Val and her family to this beautiful part of the world and to the start of a lifelong friendship. We would also like to acknowledge the generous legacies of Mrs. Sylvia Anne Walker and Mrs. Petrina Johnson, who contributed to the funding of our new lifeboat. We, and the lifeboat volunteers who follow, will be the proud custodians of this Shannon class lifeboat. This lifeboat will save many lives in the years ahead and bring our crews safely home."
