RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Aran Islands RNLI Carries out Medical Evacuation after Cyclist Falls

8th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Aran Islands RNLI carried out a medical evacuation on Saturday after a cyclist fell. The volunteer crew had assembled at the lifeboat station for a routine training exercise at 12 noon on Saturday (6 July) when a cyclist fell off…

Crosshaven RNLI Lifeboat Helmsman Aidan O'Connor

Crosshaven RNLI Lifeboatman on his 200th 'Shout' Assists Disabled Motor Boat in Cork Harbour

8th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Helm Aidan O'Connor has reached a similar milestone in this year's 200th anniversary of the RNLI. Not 200 years, but his 200th 'shout' on the Crosshaven Lifeboat. He is the first to attain that particular honour at the Cork Harbour station.…

Kilmore Quay RNLI's all-weather Tamar class lifeboat assists two people aboard a yacht with engine failure

Kilmore Quay RNLI Assist Two People Aboard Yacht with Engine Failure off Saltee Islands

8th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Kilmore Quay RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was launched Saturday afternoon (July 6) to assist two people aboard a 32-foot yacht with engine failure close to the Saltee Islands. The Coast Guard requested that the all-weather Tamar class lifeboat, Killarney, launch at 2.37…

File image of Kinsale RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Kinsale Lifeboat Rescues Lone Sailor Off Old Head of Kinsale

5th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Two days after Kinsale RNLI launched to the aid of two sailors after their 34ft yacht lost steering, the West Cork lifeboat rescued a lone sailor who was drifting off the Old Head of Kinsale on Monday (1 July). The volunteer…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier en route to the 27ft cruiser at Curraghmore Point

Lough Derg Lifeboat Launches to Assist Cruiser With Engine Failure

2nd July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI were requested to launch on Monday afternoon (1 July) to assist a person on a 27ft cruiser that had suffered engine failure. The casualty vessel was reported to be at anchor at Curraghmore Point, a location north…

Relief coxswain Sean Curtin pictured with Arranmore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Arranmore Lifeboat Carries Out Medical Evacuation

1st July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer crew of Arranmore RNLI were asked to assist in a medical evacuation from the island by the Malin Head Coast Guard at 8am on Sunday (30 June). The first responders of the Arranmore ambulance delivered the patient to…

Kinsale RNLI Rescues Sailors After Drifting 34ft Yacht Loses Steering off the Old Head of Kinsale

30th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Kinsale RNLI came to the aid of two sailors on Saturday afternoon (30 June) after their 34-ft yacht lost steering and began to drift off the Old Head of Kinsale. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat…

Newcastle RNLI’s all weather lifeboat Leonard Kent about to launch on the shout

Newcastle Lifeboat Responds to ‘Pan-Pan’ Call Off Co Down Coast

29th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Newcastle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat, the Leonard Kent, was requested to launch around 7.20pm on Thursday evening (27 June) after HM Coastguard received a pan-pan message from a yacht some 20 miles south-east of Newcastle in Co Down, Northern Ireland. The…

Bangor RNLI's Jessie Hillyard and Ruby Robinson alongside each other

New Atlantic 85 Class Inshore Lifeboat Goes on Service at Bangor RNLI

28th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

A new Atlantic 85 class inshore lifeboat has officially gone on service at Bangor RNLI in Northern Ireland. The Ruby Robinson arrived at the Co Down station on Tuesday afternoon (25 June) and replaces the Jessie Hillyard, which has been…

The Co Down lifeguard team who will provide a daily patrol on Tyrella, Murlough and Cranfield beaches

RNLI Lifeguards Return to Causeway Coast and Co Down Beaches for Peak Summer Period

28th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

RNLI lifeguards are returning to their full-time regime patrolling a total of 11 Northern Ireland beaches along the Causeway Coast and in Co Down. The charity along with the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, the National Trust and Newry,…

File image of Larne RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Terry

Larne Lifeboat Rescues Four Kayakers Drifting Out to Sea Off Browns Bay

25th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI rescued four kayakers on Monday afternoon (24 June) after they got pushed out to sea by an offshore wind off Browns Bay and started to drift. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.12pm…

Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat waits for the Strangford Lough ferry service to depart before being recovered back to station

Portaferry Lifeboat Responds to Emergency Beacon Alert

25th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Portaferry RNLI’s pagers sounded on Sunday afternoon (23 June) after Belfast Coastguard received an ermergency position indication radio beacon (EPIRB) alert close to Portavogie. The inshore lifeboat launched at 1.05pm amid good conditions on Northern Ireland’s Co Down coast, with…

File image of Aran Islands RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat

Aran Islands Lifeboat Launches to Aid of Injured Cyclist

24th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Aran Islands RNLI launched to the aid of an injured cyclist on Inis Oírr on Monday afternoon (24 June). The volunteer crew on Inis Mór were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat just after 1pm following a report from the…

Skerries RNLI volunteers making their way ashore to assist the man and his dog on Saturday 22 June

Skerries Lifeboat Launches to Rescue Man and His Dog in Loughshinny

23rd June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI volunteers responded to an emergency 999 call reporting that a dog had fallen from a cliff in Loughshinny shortly before 11am on Saturday morning (22 June). The volunteers in Skerries launched the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson…

File image of Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Youghal Lifeboat Rescues Kayaker in Difficulty Near Capel Island

21st June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

On Thursday evening (20 June), during his first call-out as lifeboat helm with Youghal RNLI, Jack Nolan and his fellow crew rescued a kayaker who got into difficulty and ended up in the water near Capel Island. The lifeboat was…

Larne RNLI’s proud volunteer crew stand guard with their all-weather and inshore lifeboats

Larne RNLI to Celebrate 30 Years With Open Day This Saturday

19th June 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI will celebrate 30 years of lifesaving with an open day at the lifeboat station on Northern Ireland’s East Antrim coast this Saturday 22 June from noon to 4pm. Everyone is welcome to join the volunteer crew to celebrate…

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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