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Displaying items by tag: Killaloe canal

Waterways Ireland advises masters and owners of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the Killaloe Canal in Co Clare will be closed from next Monday 16 October for much the winter period in order to carry out works on the boardwalk.

These works are expected take around three months, and vessels moored in the canal should vacate the area prior to Sunday 15 October. Vessels remaining after this date may be removed by the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways.

Published in Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland has announced the commencement of the second phase of the improvements at the Killaloe Canal on the inland waterways.

The works on the Shannon Navigation at Killaloe involve the repair and widening of the canal wall. Flow Control Gates will be installed in the canal and new moorings have already been put in place to provide greater capacity. A further outcome of the flow control gates is the incorporation of a pedestrian footbridge creating a looped walk along the canal. The entire walkway will be resurfaced as part of the project.

The works have been designed by Waterways Ireland and will be undertaken by a contractor. The work will commence on the 13th September 2010 and is expected to be completed in March 2011. During this period the footpath between the R463 Killaloe to Scarriff Road and the canal will be closed.

The remedial works to the canal wall include the installation of approximately 400 m of sheet piles to incorporate the extension to the moorings and underpin the existing canal wall. The installation of boat pump-out facility and new mains pump chamber has been included in the programme.

When complete three walkways will link the newly installed floating moorings to the canal wall. The 250m of floating moorings were installed by Waterways Ireland earlier in the year in preparation for this work to take place.
Waterways Ireland would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused during the contract period. Queries about this work can be directed to the Waterways Ireland Western Regional Office in Scarriff, Tel 061 922033.

Published in Inland Waterways

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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