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Displaying items by tag: Glasheen Boys National School

During the summer Glasheen Boys National School were announced as the overall winners of the 2010 Port of Cork Schools Initiative. As overall winners, the 5th class boys were treated to a tour onboard MV Independence of the Seas, the largest cruise liner to visit an Irish port.

While onboard the boys were shown around the huge liner and got to see the amazing flow rider in action on the top deck, as well as the climbing wall, running track, nine hole miniature golf course, the ice skating rink and of course the Alhambra theatre. They were also taken to the exclusive helipad for a photo with the Captain of the Independence of the Seas. Here the boys got a bird's eye view of the Cobh and the lower harbour.

Over 50 schools in and around Cork were invited to take part in the Port of Cork Schools Initiative which was themed 'Cork Harbour through Your Eyes – commercial, leisure and environment – Working in Harmony'. All submitted projects were put on public display in the reception area of Customs House.

Commenting on the school projects and the trip onboard the Independence of the Seas, Captain Pat Murphy, Port of Cork Community Liaison Officer said; 'Congratulations to Glasheen Boys National Schools for their excellent submission, it is clear they went to a lot of effort creating their project and we were delighted to bring them onboard the Independence of the Seas today.'

He continued: 'The Port of Cork will run the Schools Initiative again next year and we hope to encourage even more schools around Cork to take part. This is a great way of educating school children on the history of the Port and Cork Harbour.'

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Onboard The MV Independence with Glasheen Boys School Cruise to Victory,During the summer Glasheen Boys National School were announced as the overall winners of the 2010 Port of Cork Schools Initiative. As overall winners, the 5th class boys were treated to a tour onboard MV Independence of the Seas, the largest cruise liner to visit an Irish port.Photo: Gerard McCarthy
Published in Cork Harbour

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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