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Galway Lifeboat Crew Rescue Walker Stranded on Hare Island

21st September 2024
File image of Galway RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
File image of Galway RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Credit: RNLI/Galway

Galway RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard on Friday afternoon (20 September) to rescue a walker on Hare Island who was cut off by the incoming tide.

The crew of Brian Niland, Martin Oliver and Stefanie Carr had the inshore lifeboat on the water shortly after 4pm and made their way to Hare Island, on inner Galway Bay, which is accessible to walkers at low tide.

They quickly located the casualty, who was taken safely on board the lifeboat. The crew then returned to the lifeboat station and the casualty, who didn’t require medical attention, was able to get ashore safely.

Niland said: “The person we rescued this afternoon did the right thing. They had a mobile phone and called for help when they realised that they had been cut off by the tide, which still coming in as we arrived on the island. Staying put was definitely the right thing to do.

“This was the second shout for the crew in the space of 24 hours after a request to launch on Thursday afternoon to reports of a person caught out by the incoming tide near Kinvara. The crew were stood down on arrival in Kinvara as the person had been brought safely ashore by gardaí on the scene.

“We’ve had a lovely late summer in the past week and many people took the opportunity to enjoy the fine weather out on or by the water. Walking around coasts is a very safe activity most of the time but it is very easy to get caught out by tides and we’ve had particularly high tides in the past few days.

“Our advice is to always take a means of calling for help and to check the weather and tides before you head out. Tide times and heights vary throughout the month and can easily catch you out if you haven’t checked them. If you get into difficulty or see someone in difficulty, please dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

Afloat.ie Team

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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.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

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

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.

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

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

 

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

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