RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

File image of Larne RNLI’s D class inshore lifeboat at sea

Larne Lifeboat Rescues Man on Inflatable Dinghy Drifting Out to Sea

18th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI came to the aid of a man who was drifting out to sea on an inflatable dinghy on Monday afternoon (15 July). The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore D class lifeboat at 1.15pm at the…

Aran Islands RNLI crew Thomas Davis, Daniel O’Connell, Tommy Dirrane and Máirtín de Bhailis pictured with open sea swimmer Fergal and Mags Somerville. Front row are Mark Rush and Gordon Adair

Dublin Man Swims 35km Around Inis Mór, Raising €8,500 for Aran Islands RNLI

17th July 2024 Sea Swim

In a remarkable feat of endurance and fundraising, Dublin man Fergal Somerville successfully completed a 35km open water swim around Inis Mór, raising €8,500 for the Aran Islands RNLI. Somerville, a Guinness World record-breaking swimmer, took on this challenge, which…

Clifden RNLI allweather lifeboat launched under Coxswain Alan Pryce

Clifden RNLI Aid Two Sailors After 26ft Yacht Fouls Propellor on Passage from Roundstone

16th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Clifden RNLI came to the aid of two sailors yesterday afternoon (Monday 15 July) after their 26ft yacht got into difficulty with a fouled propellor while on passage from Roundstone earlier that morning. The volunteer crew were requested to launch…

Scott Blackwood with his proud parents at Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Portaferry RNLI Introduces Newest Lifeboat Helm

16th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Portaferry RNLI has passed out a new helm at its inshore lifeboat station on Northern Ireland’s Ards Peninsula. Scott Blackwood (29), originally from Newtownards, moved to Portaferry in 2020 to be closer to his partner Nicole and joined the lifeboat…

The INEOS Grenadier will be rolled out to 20 stations across Ireland and the UK to launch and recover D-class lifeboats

INEOS Grenadier to Be Official Vehicle of RNLI as Part of Five-Year Partnership

16th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

INEOS Automotive has become an official partner of the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. Over the next five years, the INEOS Grenadier will become the official vehicle of RNLI lifeboats and support the RNLI by helping their…

The Groomsport Lifeboat panel image pictures Christine Scholes (left) and Ann Blachford. The last coxswain of the Groomsport lifeboat, Robert Waterson, was Ann’s grandfather and Christine’s great uncle

200th Anniversary RNLI Exhibition at North Down Museum

15th July 2024 Belfast Lough

An exhibition celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the RNLI is currently running in the Long Gallery at the North Down Museum in Bangor on Belfast Lough. Over the years, the charity’s volunteers have answered the call to rescue day or…

Aran Islands RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat at 2.46 am, under Coxswain Tommy Dirrane, following a 999 call. Three people were drifting in a fibreglass dinghy which was taking on water approximately five miles northeast of Inis Mór

Aran Islands RNLI Rescues Three People Drifting in a Dinghy That’s Taking on Water

15th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Aran Islands RNLI came to the aid of three people drifting in a dinghy on Sunday morning (14 July). The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 2.46 am, under Coxswain Tommy Dirrane, following a 999 call. Three…

RNLI Fish Friday encourages people to come together and enjoy their favourite fish dish on any Friday in August while raising money to help save lives at sea

RNLI Calls on Public to Take Part in ‘Fish Friday’ Fundraiser This August

15th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI is calling on the public to gather their own crew together this summer and take part in the charity’s foodie fundraiser, Fish Friday. Taking place throughout August, Fish Friday encourages people to come together with friends and family…

Clifden RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Joyce King with a vessel under tow

Clifden Lifeboat Assists Three Divers in Difficulty Off Inishnbofin

14th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Clifden RNLI’s volunteer crew launched both lifeboats on Thursday afternoon (11 July) to assist three divers who had experienced a rapid ascent near Friar Island. The crew were tasked at around 4.15pm to reports of divers in difficulty a mile…

The 32-foot West Cork-based yacht, with four persons onboard, under tow by the RNLI Castletownbere from the Fastnet Rock

Castletownbere RNLI Tows West Cork Yacht in Difficulty Near the Fastnet Rock

13th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched early this morning to assist a 32-foot West Cork-based yacht, with four persons onboard, which had lost its ability to manoeuvre three miles south of the Fastnet Rock. The lifeboat received an alert at 06:15…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat speeds to the 20ft cruiser that had suffered engine failure west of Garrykennedy Harbour on Thursday evening 11 July

Lough Derg Lifeboat Launches to Assist Cruiser Adrift With Engine Failure

12th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI launched to the aid of seven on a 20ft cruiser that had suffered engine failure and was drifting towards rocks west of Garrykennedy Harbour on Thursday evening (11 July). At 4.45pm, Lough Derg’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier…

Wicklow all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O’Shea. The lifeboat will be on display during our Annual Station Open Day this Sunday

Wicklow RNLI Launch to Investigate Emergency Beacon Activation

12th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O’Shea was launched just before noon today (Wednesday 10 July) following a Coast Guard pager alert, to reports of an EPIRB (emergency distress beacon) activation in the Wicklow area. The lifeboat under the command of…

Sean Walsh, a volunteer crew member at Union Hall RNLI

Union Hall Lifeboat Crew Celebrate Their Newest Volunteer Helm

12th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Sean Walsh, a volunteer crew member at Union Hall RNLI in West Cork, has this week passed out as a helm for the station. The helm is responsible for the Union Hall inshore lifeboat during launching, at sea and through…

Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Saves Paddleboarders in Distress

11th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Youghal RNLI responded to a distress call from local lifeguards on Wednesday, July 10, at 5:16 pm, regarding three paddleboarders in difficulty approximately 500m off Youghal front strand beach. The weather conditions were described as choppy with a strong north-westerly…

File image of Clifden RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat

Clifden Lifeboat Assists in Medevac of Casualty From Inishbofin

9th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Clifden RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew in western Connemara were tasked just after 11am on Sunday morning (7 July) by the Irish Coast Guard to assist a casualty on the island of Inishbofin. The Shannon class all-weather lifeboat St Christopher was…

File image of Bundoran RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Bundoran Lifeboat Rescues Vessel in Distress Near Mullaghmore

8th July 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Bundoran RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers were called on Sunday afternoon (7 July) to aid a RIB in difficulty after suffering engine failure near Mullaghmore in Co Sligo. The 5.5-metre craft, with one person on board, was in danger of drifting close…

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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