RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI inshore lifeboat

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Rescue Paddleboarder Who Could Not Get Back to Shore

4th May 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI rescued a paddleboarder who got into difficulty after he could not get back to shore on Bank Holiday Monday evening. The lifeboat crew were paged following a report made to the Irish Coast Guard by a…

Baltimore RNLI Assist Yacht in Difficulty on Second Callout of the Day

3rd May 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI was called out to provide assistance to a yacht in difficulty in Baltimore harbour, West Cork this afternoon (Monday 3 May) in a second callout of the day. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their inshore lifeboat at 12.05…

The Irish Coast Guard requested Baltimore RNLI to give medical assistance and evacuation to a man living on Sherkin Island

Baltimore RNLI Carry Out Medical Evacuation from Sherkin Island

3rd May 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI was called out to provide a medical evacuation in the early hours of this morning (Monday 3 May) from Sherkin Island off the coast of Baltimore, West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 00.28…

The UN Resolution recognises the association between drowning and development, as well as the critical inequity between countries and regions. Action on drowning prevention presents an important opportunity to make progress towards targets within several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Irish Water Safety Bodies Welcome UN Adoption of First Ever Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention

2nd May 2021 Water Safety

Irish water safety organisations have welcomed the first-ever UN Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention which was adopted by the UN General Assembly last week. The UN adopted a historic Resolution on drowning prevention, acknowledging the issue for the first time in its 75-year…

Youghal's Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat arrived on scene in less than 10 minutes to tow the angling boat

Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Called to 17ft Angling Boat with Engine Trouble

2nd May 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

For the third time this week, Youghal RNLI responded to their pagers on Saturday, May 1 at 3.08 pm to a report of a 17ft angling boat with engine trouble, half a mile south of the Eastern Cardinal in Youghal…

The call comes following an increase in the number and a broadening in the type of incidents requiring RNLI and Coast Guard intervention

Coast Guard & RNLI Issue Safety Advice for Bank Holiday Weekend After Recent Rise in Callouts

29th April 2021 Coastguard

The RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard are expecting a busy May Bank Holiday weekend on the coasts and inland waters, with more people enjoying the warmer weather and the brighter evenings. The two organisations are asking people to plan…

Arklow RNLI on scene with the grounded yacht at Clogga Bay beach

Arklow Lifeboat Launches to Assist Sailor After 24ft Yacht Runs Aground

28th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Arklow RNLI’s volunteer crew launched their lifeboat within minutes of receiving a report that a sailing vessel was in danger and aground at Clogga Bay last Tuesday afternoon, 20 April. Upon entering the bay south of Arklow Harbour, the crew…

RNLI launches its annual Mayday for funds

RNLI Launches Mayday for Funds with Rescued Cork Dinghy Sailor after Figures Show Sharp Rise in Summer Rescues

28th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI is launching its Mayday Mile fundraiser today (Tuesday 27 April) as the charity’s rescue figures for 2020 show that over half (53%) of its 945 lifeboat launches took place in the months of June, July and August. Volunteer…

Local athlete David McGaffin (left) with Portrush RNLI’s lifeboat operations manager Beni McAllister

Portrush Athlete to Put In Mayday Miles for Local Lifeboat

27th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Portrush athlete David McGaffin is taking the RNLI Mayday Mile challenge to a whole new level to raise funds for his local lifeboat station. The McGaffin family has a long association with Portrush RNLI on Northern Ireland’s North Coast. David’s…

Carrybridge RNLI assisted seven people on two separate call outs at the weekend

Two Callouts for Carrybridge RNLI Lifeboat on Lough Erne

27th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

At 3.45 pm on Sunday 25 April, Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Douglas Euan & Kay Richards and Rescue Water Craft (RWC) was launched to a vessel with two people on board, which had encountered engine difficulties approx. 2 miles north…

Courtmacsherry RNLI’s crew masked up and ready to respond

Callout to Surfer in Difficulty Caps Full Weekend for Courtmacsherry Lifeboat

26th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtmacsherry RNLI's all-weather Trent class lifeboat Frederick Story Cockburn was called out yesterday afternoon, Sunday 26 April at 3.40pm as people reported a surfer in difficulty off Garrylucas Beach near the Old Head of Kinsale. The lifeboat under coxswain Ken…

Skerries RNLI’s inshore lifeboat approaches a group of children stranded on Shenick Island by the incoming tide

Skerries Lifeboat Volunteers Rescue Nine People Over Busy Weekend

26th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI rescued five children and four adults after responding to two separate incidents over the weekend. Shortly after 6pm on Saturday evening (24 April), the pagers sounded following multiple 999 calls reporting that three children in the water trying…

A helium balloon shining in the sun was mistaken for a distress signal on Lough Swilly

Helium Balloon Shining in the Sun Prompts Swilly RNLI Lifeboat Launch

26th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Swilly RNLI in County Donegal was tasked by the Irish Coast Guard at 2.26 pm Sunday 25th April to reports of a distress signal sighted around the Leenan Head area of the Lough. After a short search, it was…

Ballycotton RNLI all-weather Trent class lifeboat the Austin Lidbury tows home the broken down fishing vessel

Ballycotton RNLI Tow Fishing Vessel Home to Cork Harbour

26th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Ballycotton RNLI all-weather Trent class lifeboat the Austin Lidbury was tasked by Valentia Coast Guard at 11.25 am yesterday to a report of a fishing vessel with engine failure approximately 5 miles off Flat Head, south of Cork Harbour. Conditions…

Howth RNLI approach the sailing cruiser aground off Ireland's Eye

Yacht Hard Aground, Howth RNLI Rescue Family of Seven off Ireland's Eye

26th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Howth RNLI launched both the all-weather lifeboat and the inshore lifeboat to come to the aid of a sailboat with a family of seven people aboard after they ran aground off Ireland's Eye. The RNLI pagers sounded at 3.10 pm…

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Assists 20ft Motorboat with Engine Failure South of the Scilly Islands

25th April 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

At 11.30 am today, Sunday 25 April, whilst out on exercise, Lough Derg RNLI volunteers in County Tipperary noticed the passengers of a 20ft motorboat waving to them to signal their distress. The motorboat was south of the Scilly Islands…

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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