Dozens of people lined the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin earlier to commemorate an 1895 sea tragedy which killed an entire lifeboat crew.
Fifteen men, volunteers with the RNLI, died in the Christmas Eve disaster, which happened 129 years ago.
The annual ceremony, which has become a Christmas Eve tradition for the station, also remembers all those who have drowned around our coasts, in rivers, inland waters and abroad.
The ceremony saw lifeboat crew joined by members of the Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard and Civil Defence, to form an honour guard. Both Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s inshore and all-weather lifeboat were launch, and the crew laid wreaths off the east pier in view of the public.
On 24 December 1895, the 'Civil Service No. 1' Dun Laoghaire lifeboat was wrecked while proceeding to the assistance of the SS Palme of Finland. The entire crew, 15 in total, were drowned. The lifeboat capsized 600 yards from the distressed vessel and, although every effort was made to send help to the lifeboat and to the Palme, nothing could be done.
The second Dun Laoghaire lifeboat 'Hannah Pickard' also launched but it too capsized under sail, fortunately, all crew returned safely. The Captain, his wife, child and 17 crew were eventually rescued on the 26th of December by the SS Tearaght.
The short ceremony took place under the lighthouse at the end of the East Pier. It included an ecumenical blessing, a reading from a news article published at the time and music.
The names of all 15 crew who lost their lives were also read out.
They were Alexander Williams, Henry Williams, John Baker, John Bartley, Edward Crowe, Thomas Dunphy, William Dunphy, Francis McDonald, Edward Murphy, Patrick Power, James Ryan, George Saunders, Francis Saunders, Edward Shannon, and Henry Underhill.
