RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

A 28ft yacht on passage from Oban in Scotland to Belfast got into difficulty when its five-person crew became ill in challenging sea conditions

Red Bay RNLI Assist Yacht in Rolling Seas off Antrim Coast as Crew Fall ill

24th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Both Red Bay RNLI lifeboats launched this morning (Wednesday 24 April) when a 28ft yacht on passage from Oban in Scotland to Belfast got into difficulty when its five-person crew became ill in challenging sea conditions and were unable to…

End of an Era as Wicklow RNLI Bid Farewell to Tyne Class Lifeboat That Rescued 408 people

23rd April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

This Sunday (28 April 2019) Wicklow RNLI will bid farewell to their beloved lifeboat Annie Blaker, the last operational Tyne Class lifeboat in the RNLI’s fleet. The historic vessel will launch for the final time at Wicklow lifeboat station on…

Killaloe Coast Guard volunteers with the dog they brought to safety along with its owners after their cruiser lost power

Four People & Dog Rescued In Separate Easter Monday Incidents On Lough Derg

23rd April 2019 Rescue

#Rescue - Lough Derg RNLI and Killaloe Coast Guard launched to separate incidents on Easter Monday (22 April) that between them saw four people and a dog rescued on the lough. In the first incident, Lough Derg’s inshore lifeboat launched to…

Arklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Ger Tigchlearr

Busy Easter Weekend For RNLI Lifeboat Callouts Around Ireland’s Coast

23rd April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

It was a busy weekend for RNLI lifeboats in Arklow, Larne and Kilmore Quay which each had callouts over the Easter period. Arklow RNLI launched on Sunday afternoon (21 April) to assist a jetski in difficulty following a launch request…

Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Douglas Euan & Kay Richards

Carrybridge RNLI Assist two Vessels at the start of the Easter Holidays

22nd April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

At 1.14pm on the Saturday 20 April Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Douglas Euan & Kay Richards and Rescue Water Craft (RWC) were launched to a vessel with two people which had run aground North West of Knockninny. Winds were Southerly,…

File photo of Portaferry RNLI's inshore lifeboat

Portaferry Lifeboat Launches To Fishing Vessel With Engine Failure

21st April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Portaferry RNLI launched to the aid of a fishing vessel with three on board which suffered engine failure on Strangford Lough yesterday afternoon (Saturday 20 April). Volunteers were paged while taking part in in a ‘crew day’, whereby they gathered to clean…

The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Crew on Callout as they arrive back into Courtmacsherry at 4 am this morning: Sean O Farrell, Mechanic Tadgh McCarthy and Crew members Ken Cashman, Denis Murphy, Evin O Sullivan and Conor Tyndall

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Callout to Irish Yacht Heading for Spain

21st April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

The Courtmacsherry All-Weather RNLI Lifeboat was called out at 7.40 pm last night (Saturday) to go to the aid of a 40 ft Yacht which sought assistance 34 Miles off Courtmacsherry and due south of the Seven Heads peninsula in…

The lifeboat crew set up for tow and eased the cruiser off the rocks and into safe water

Lough Derg RNLI Launch to 60-ft Vessel Aground in Coose Bay

19th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

At 3:40pm Thursday 18th April, Lough Derg RNLI was requested by Valentia Coast Guard to assist 7 people on a 60-ft cruiser aground in Coose Bay, between Split Rock and Hagen Rock. Volunteer crew, with helm Eleanor Hooker, Owen Cavanagh,…

Ballyglass RNLI’s volunteers are getting ready to swap the waves for the road

Lifeboat Crew Swap Boats For Bikes In 150km Cycle From Sligo To Ballyglass

18th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Ten volunteer lifeboat crew from Ballyglass RNLI, in conjunction with Belmullet Cycling Club, will undertake a 150km cycle from Sligo Bay RNLI in Rosses Point to Ballyglass RNLI in Belmullet on Saturday 27 April. A total of 130 cyclists from…

Hoylake RNLI volunteers and other emergency services worked together to free the trapped horse on the Wirral coast

Horses Rescued From Mud In Separate UK Incidents Prompt Warning Over Coastal Rides

17th April 2019 Coastal Notes

Horse riders and owners have been warned over taking their animals to beaches or mudflats after two separate rescue incidents in the UK in recent days Last Saturday (13 April) two horses and their riders were rescued from thick mud…

Last year, lifeguards in Northern Ireland responded to 283 incidents and came to the aid of 252 people

RNLI Lifeguards Return to Provide Easter Cover on Five Beaches on the Causeway Coast

16th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Starting on Good Friday, 19 April, RNLI lifeguards will be operating a daily patrol from 11am to 7pm on Benone Strand, Portstewart Strand, West Strand and East Strand in Portrush, and Whiterocks. The Easter service will run until Sunday 28…

Early Morning Callout For Portaferry Lifeboat To Yacht On Rocks in Strangford Lough

15th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

A volunteer crew from Portaferry RNLI launched to a 999 call in the early hours of Sunday morning (14 April) reporting that a yacht with three people on board had hit rocks at Rainey Island near Ballydoran in Strangford Lough.…

The fishing vessel with engine failure under tow back to Wicklow

Wicklow Lifeboat Assists Fishing Vessel With Engine Failure

14th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI volunteers were alerted by pager at 1.05pm on Friday afternoon (12 April) following a launch request to assist a fishing boat with engine failure. The all-weather lifeboat Jock and Annie Slater put to sea shortly before 1.15pm under…

Baltimore RNLI on Thursday night’s medevac callout to Sherkin Island

Baltimore Lifeboat In Medical Evacuation From Sherkin Island

13th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

#Lifeboats - Baltimore RNLI carried out a medevac on Thursday night (11 April) from Sherkin Island off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat following a request from the Irish Coast Guard at 9.29pm to…

Volunteer crewmember and comedian PJ Gallagher joined members of Dun Laoghaire RNLI, where he volunteers, to help well-known fundraiser, Mary Nolan Hickey on her way as she cycles around Ireland for Mayday, Pictured with Mary and PJ are Kieran O’Connell (Colley), Coxswain Mark McGibney and Eamon O’Leary of Dun Laoghaire RNLI

RNLI Asks Public to ‘Give it Some Welly’ & Answer Their Mayday Call

11th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI is calling on people to support their volunteer lifeboat crews as Mayday, the charity’s annual fundraising campaign, was launched yesterday. Volunteer crewmember and comedian PJ Gallagher joined members of Dun Laoghaire RNLI, where he volunteers, to help well-known fundraiser,…

Mary Nolan Hickey is heading off on another lap of Ireland for the RNLI

RNLI Round Ireland Runner Sets off on Bike on Another Lifeboat Fundraiser

10th April 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Mary Nolan Hickey (66) ran around Ireland for the RNLI lifeboat last year, but is now setting off again on her bike for the same cause writes Lorna Siggins. The veteran athlete from Arklow, Co Wicklow with some 57 marathons under…

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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.

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

Which is Ireland's busiest lifeboat station?

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.

Do the RNLI get paid?

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

How many RNLI Lifeboat stations in Ireland?

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

How many lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions?

How many people are rescued by the RNLI?

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

What type of boats does the RNLI have?

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.

How are lifeboats called out?

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.

What is the relationship between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI in Ireland?

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.

What is a coxswain?

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

What training do RNLI lifeboat crews get?

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