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Displaying items by tag: Ní Chuilín

Minister Jimmy Deenihan TD Dept of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DAHG) and Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA, Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure(DCAL) met delegates from 12 EU countries, Norway and Serbia at a dinner this evening in Dublin Castle to mark the Waterways Forward Masterclasses taking place in Dublin and Enniskillen on the 14th and 15th September.

Facilitated by Waterways Ireland the Masterclasses take place as part of the Waterways Forward INTERREG IVC Project. The Waterways Forward project is focused on the 'enhancement of the management and the boosting of socio-economic development of regional inland waterways and their adjacent waterways' right across Europe.

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Minister Jimmy Deenihan, T.D, stated

"The future of the waterways both in Ireland and other countries is of huge importance to the economy of all Europe. The meeting is dealing with difficult subjects and I am looking forward to receiving the conference recommendations for an enhanced use and management of the inland waterways for the benefits of all involved."

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Carál Ní Chuilín Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Northern Assembly and Jimmy Deenihan TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht pictured speaking at the 4th Interregional meeting of the Waterways forward group at Dublin Castle last night Photo: Marc O'Sullivan

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister, Carál Ní Chuilín, said: "Ireland has some of the most impressive waterways on offer. From the Grand Canal in Dublin to Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Inland waterways have the potential to better connect the economic structures on this island. In the current economic climate such connections can only impact positively on increasing the contribution made by this sector to the all-island economy. The diversity of our waterways and the work being carried out by Waterways Ireland will not fail to impress. This conference will allow Waterways Ireland to plan in a strategic way for future investment in the waterways to improve their navigational, recreation and tourism potential for the benefit of all waterway users."

The Masterclasses will address issues around the sustainable development of inland waterways and the potential impact of climate change on regional inland waterways across Europe.

Lead by the Dutch Recreational Waterways Foundation, the INTERREG IVC Project runs from January 2010 to December 2012 and has a total budget of just over €2.8 million. The Masterclasses are one of a series of meetings, conferences and research projects being undertaken by the partners with the aim of sharing best practice, developing integrated, tailor made governance structures & models and facilitating increased cooperation at EU level.

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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