Hear Ireland’s Legendary Olympian Ronnie Delany as Part of RNLI’s 200 Voices Podcast Series

28th November 2023

Now 87, Olympic gold medalist Ronnie Delany is also a vice president of the RNLI Credit: Sportsfile

In 1956, Ronnie Delany won a gold medal in the 1500m race at the Olympics in Melbourne. Now 87, and a vice president of the RNLI, Ronnie takes pride in how he competed for an all-Ireland country as an athlete, and how through his work with the RNLI he’s supporting an all-Ireland charity.

This week, on Wednesday 29 November, the Arklow athlete contributes to the highly acclaimed RNLI 200 Voices podcast with episode 104, titled A Beautiful Thing.

He talks of how the RNLI is apolitical in Ireland, of extraordinary friendships he’s made through the RNLI, and commends the charity’s commitment to saving lives at sea which is in his words “a beautiful thing”.

200 Voices hears people connected to the RNLI in Ireland and those whose lives have been touched by the lifesaving charity.

Hear from locals with a special kinship to their lifeboat station, a crew member who’s been on service for a generation, or the family of someone rescued by an RNLI frontline lifesaver — each episode is sure to take the listener on a journey through a touching story.

Launched in August, the series already features several contributions of Irish interest, including:

Niamh Fitzpatrick Remembers One of Our Own, a personal reflection on losing her sister Dara at sea, and what the RNLI means to her.
Fr Tom Dalton, a Co Wexford priest and Courtown RNLI crew member describes what it’s like when rescue turns into recovery in Pulling Together.
In The Calm Before Force 10, Baltimore RNLI’s Kieran Cotter remembers an event that was to change yacht racing forever, the 1979 Fastnet tragedy, the fateful call-out and the response to the disaster.
The challenge of saving lives in a remote place is the theme of Outer Limits by Aran Islands GP Dr Marion Broderick.
In Home from the Sea, Phil Coulter talks of his relationship with the charity and writing a song that has been adopted as an RNLI anthem.
Former President Mary McAleese recalls a life lived close to the water and her relationship and work with the RNLI.

Available across all podcast platforms and the RNLI’s website, 200 Voices lets listeners hear from survivors, supporters, volunteers, lifeguards, celebrity ambassadors, historians and many more from across Wales, England, Scotland Ireland and beyond.

To find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary, visit RNLI.org/200.

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Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

Which is Ireland's busiest lifeboat station?

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Do the RNLI get paid?

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

How many RNLI Lifeboat stations in Ireland?

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

How many lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions?

How many people are rescued by the RNLI?

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

What type of boats does the RNLI have?

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

How are lifeboats called out?

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

What is the relationship between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI in Ireland?

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

What is a coxswain?

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

What training do RNLI lifeboat crews get?

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

How can one support the RNLI?

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

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