Lifeboat operations manager John Griffin Snr has retired from Youghal RNLI after 34 years of saving lives at sea.
On Saturday 22 June, John was was joined by his friends and family for a very special event held in the Quays Bar and Restaurant in Youghal.
A final farewell was paid by John’s follow crew mates as he was presented with a certificate of service. He also received a letter from the RNLI’s lifesaving operations director John Payne, who acknowledged John’s dedicated years of service, spanning from 1990 to 2024.
John held many roles during his years with the RNLI, including LOM for the last two years. He has been a friend and mentor to volunteers for many years and following in his footsteps are his son John Griffin Jnr, who has been on the crew and a helm for many years, and his daughter Elizabeth Griffin Shanahen who has recently joined as water safety Officer.
In more recent news, Youghal RNLI met up with members of the Mallow Triathlon Club on Sunday 28 July where they were presented with a cheque in the value of €1,500.
Members Joanne McCann, Sinead Renton and Geoff Collins visited the station to make the generous donation on behalf of the club, which was formed in 2016 with the purpose of bringing together a diverse of people with varied skill levels across swimming, cycling and running.
“We realise the importance of the RNLI for a town like this and it’s great to see it being so supported by its community,” Collins said.
Youghal RNLI’s launching authority Mark Nolan added: “We would like to thank the members of Mallow Triathlon Club for their very kind donation. We are extremely grateful.
“We rely entirely on donations to fund our crew training and equipment, so donations such as this are vital for us to continue providing our service and save lives at sea.”
