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Displaying items by tag: missing

#Search - The search remains ongoing for a man seen entering the water at Galway's Wolfe Tone Bridge 10 days ago.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the man in his 30s prompted a widespread search in the city's waters after going missing on the night of Thursday 10 March.

Today (Sunday 20 March) was expected to be significant in the search due to particularly low water levels in the docks and surrounds, according to Galway Bay FM.

And an appeal has gone out for volunteers to assist the new Oranmore-Maree Coastal Search Unit from the shore around Galway Bay from Salthill to Tawin Island.

In other news, the body of a woman was recovered from a car that entered the water in Howth Harbour on Friday morning (18 March). TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

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#Missing - Galway Bay FM reports that emergency services are searching for a woman seen entering the River Corrib in the Galway city around 2.30am this morning (Sunday 31 January).

The missing woman was last spotted entering the water from the walkway between O'Brien's Bridge and Newtownsmith, but so far there has been no trace of her whereabouts.

Update: Galway Bay FM now reports that a body as yet unidentified has been recovered from the water in Galway Harbour.

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#Missing - A body recovered from the sea near Galway City yesterday is believed to be that of missing student Michael Bulger, as TheJournal.ie reports.

The body was spotted offshore by a search party volunteer near Ardfry Point in Oranmore, south-east of the city on Galway Bay.

The 20-year-old from Clare, a student at NUI Galway, was last seen leaving a bar in the city's Quays district around 1am on Friday 18 December.

Hundreds of volunteers had joined search teams to comb the city and surrounds over the weeks since for any sign of his whereabouts.

TheJournal.ie has more on the story HERE.

Published in News Update

#Search - The search and rescue effort resumed this morning (Thursday 17 December) for a fisherman missing from a Spanish trawler off the Kerry coast since yesterday afternoon, as RTÉ News reports.

The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 rejoined the search this morning, alongside the Naval Service vessel LE Aisling and Valentia RNLI's lifeboat, after standing down last night due to poor visibility and severe weather conditions.

According to The Irish Times, the 46-year-old Spaniard is thought to have fallen overboard from the 38m trawler Peixemar, which fishes out of Castletownbere and was some 64km off the Blaskets when the incident occurred.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

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#Missing - The family of a man whose light aircraft is believed ditched in the Irish Sea have said they are "hoping against hope he may be found alive".

BBC News reports that the missing man has been named as Ian Stirling of Douglas on the Isle of Man.

The 73-year-old sparked a major search and rescue operation yesterday morning (Thursday 3 December) when the Rockwell Commander he was piloting disappeared from radar three miles offshore on approach to Blackpool Airport.

Debris and fuel spillage were found off the Lancashire coast before the search was suspended due to failing light, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

Local council beach patrols have joined HM Coastguard in the search as it resumed earlier today. BBC News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastguard

#Missing - Naval Service divers have recovered a body from the sea in the search for a missing Clare man, as The Irish Times reports.

The grim discovery was made yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 28 October) close to where local man Stephen Mungovan is thought to have fallen accidentally from a cliff late on Sunday night.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the cross-agency response began on Monday just hours after the last known sighting of the 20-year-old at the rear of his coastal home.

In other news, the Irish kayaker whose body was found on the Isle of Wight last month had stab wounds to his neck and wrist, the inquest into his death has heard.

But according to TheJournal.ie, Hampshire Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the death of 40-year-old Dr Morgan Savage, originally from Cork, whose remains were found strapped into his canoe on the island's eastern coast on 11 September.

Dr Savage was only officially identified following a weeks-long media appeal by police, after staff at the boat shop where he rented his kayak recalled an Irish accent.

Published in News Update

#Missing - Searching resumed this morning (Tuesday 27 October) for a 19-year-old Clare man feared to have fallen into the sea.

The Irish Times reports that the man from the Quilty area was last seen on Sunday night (25 October) at the rear of his coastal home.

A cross-agency emergency response began yesterday (Monday 26 October) after the alarm was raised in the morning, covering the coastline between Quilty and Spanish Point in Co Clare.

Conditions have been hazardous in recent days, and Kilkee Coast Guard advises the public to "exercise extreme caution" by the sea till the weather improves. The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

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#Missing - Naval Service vessels have joined the search for a fisherman missing off Mayo since last Friday 11 September.

As The Irish Times reports, 23-year-old Daniel Doherty is thought to have got into difficulty while baiting lobster pots on his boat Carra Rose off Belmullet.

The boat was located on the beach at Benwee Head, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, but there has been no other trace of Doherty since then.

Earlier today it was reported that both Ballyglass RNLI lifeboats remain involved in the multi-agency search for the lobsterman.

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#Missing - Rescue services have formally stood down their search for a missing Japanese tourist off Co Clare after three weeks, the Irish Examiner reports.

As of yesterday (Tuesday 15 September) there has been no sign of Ushio Azaki (61), who went missing in Kilkee on 22 August with her companion Eiji Takagi (63), whose body was found by divers on 30 August.

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#Missing - Independent.ie reports on an ongoing search for a lobsterman feared missing off the Mayo coast since yesterday evening (Friday 11 September).

A fishing vessel was spotted on the beach at Benwee Head close to where the lone fisherman was thought to be working off Belmullet, but there was no sign of its occupant.

Searching was set to resume this morning with local lifeboats and coastguard teams includinng Shannon's Irish Coasrt Guard helicopter Rescue 115 on callout.

Published in News Update
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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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