RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Baltimore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Alice and Charles

Baltimore Lifeboat Tasked To Boat Broken From Moorings & Report Of Flare Sighting

1st May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched on Saturday night (29 May) to assist a boat that had broken from its moorings in Baltimore Harbour. Concerned for the safety of a person seen trying to access the boat from…

Lough Ree RNLI assisting the 56ft barge near Blackwood Point

Lough Ree Lifeboat Attends Grounded Barge & Stray Hire Vessel In Busy Saturday

30th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI’s lifeboat crew were alerted by the Irish Coast Guard yesterday morning (Saturday 29 April) when a 56ft barge with three people on board ran hard aground on rocks close to Blackwood Point, at the northern…

Wicklow Lifeboat Assists Fisherman Adrift Near Kiloughter Beach

30th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 10.52am yesterday morning (Saturday 29 April) to search the bay for a missing fisherman. The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh with a volunteer crew, proceeded north to the fisherman’s…

Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Assists Two On Yacht Off Tuskar Rock

28th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI volunteers launched their all-weather lifeboat in the early hours of this morning (Friday 28 April) following a call for help from a yacht with two men onboard off Tuskar Rock. The 15m yacht broke its…

Of the 131 lifejackets checked, only 21% were found to be completely fault free at an RNLI safety check in Dun Laoghaire

Only 21% of Lifejackets 'Free of Faults': Dun Laoghaire RNLI Issue Lifejacket Safety Warning At Ireland's Biggest Boating Centre

28th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire RNLI is making a timely warning this Bank Holiday weekend to all lifejacket owners to ensure the appropriate safety checks are carried out by a competent agent ahead of the main boating season. The safety appeal comes following…

Bangor RNLI's inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard

Missing Toddler Report Prompts Bangor Lifeboat Launch

25th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Bangor RNLI’s volunteers launched the inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard yesterday evening (Monday 24 April) to reports of a missing three-year-old in the vicinity of the Jamaica Inn. Setting off in big breaking seas and a Force 8 gusting…

The 1925 ketch with three onboard was on passage from Scotland to the south coast of England when it got stranded on a sand bank in the mouth to Wexford Harbour.

Yacht on Sand Bank with Three Onboard Brought to Safety by Rosslare Harbour and Wexford RNLI (Video)

24th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

A 39ft–wooden yacht with three people onboard was brought to safety by Wexford and Rosslare Harbour RNLI in County Wexford yesterday evening. Volunteer lifeboat crew from both stations were requested to launch just before 7.30pm following a report that a…

Union Hall Lifeboat Starts Summer Season With Two Callouts

21st April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - It’s shaping up to be the start of a busy season for the volunteer lifeboat crew at Union Hall RNLI with two callouts in less than two weeks. On Saturday 8 April, the inshore lifeboat launched at 12.14pm…

Ballycotton’s inshore lifeboat with Paudie the dog after his rescue from the cliff side

Ballycotton Lifeboat Rescues Dog Stranded On Cliff

20th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Ballycotton RNLI was launched yesterday morning (Wednesday 19 April) to rescue a dog that was stranded on the side of a cliff near the East Cork village. The all-weather and inshore lifeboats were both launched to an area…

Pictured at the presentation are from left are Daniel O'Connell, Aran Islands RNLI crew member, family member Sean Flaherty, John and Mary Harwood with the vellum, Tony Hiney, RNLI Community Fundraising Manager, John O'Donnell Aran Islands RNLI Coxswain, John Mulkerrin Aran Islands RNLI mechanic and Michael Hernon, Aran Islands RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager

RNLI Award for Gallantry Returned to Aran Islands

20th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

The grandnephew of an RNLI bowman who was awarded the charity’s bronze medal for gallantry for his part in the daring rescue of 12 people from a Greek freighter back in 1938, has made a visit from the UK to…

Busy Easter Monday For Clogherhead Lifeboat

19th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - It was a busy Easter Monday (17 April) with two consecutive callouts for Clogherhead RNLI in Co Louth. At 6pm, the all-weather lifeboat was launched to assist a razor boat in difficulty off Mosney in Co Meath. The…

Lifejacket stolen from Portaferry Lifeboat Station

RNLI Lifejacket Worth £458 Stolen from Portaferry Lifeboat Station

18th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

An RNLI lifejacket worth £458 has been stolen from Portaferry lifeboat station in County Down. The lifejacket, a vital part of a volunteer crew member’s kit, is thought to have been stolen sometime between 2 March and 10 April. The…

The Bundoran Lifeboat William Henry Liddington launched today

Killybegs Coast Guard RIB Takes Dive Boat Under Tow

16th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer crew of Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat were requested to launch this afternoon to assist a dive boat with 4 persons on board, which had broken down. The alarm was raised around 1:50pm with Malin Head Coast Guard who immediately…

Tara Brady, Doireann Ní Ryan, Allah Marsh, Ava Lawrence, Ella Kennedy and Ronan O’Brien pictured dancing in RNLI yellow wellies on the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin

World Irish Dancing Competitors Swap Pumps for their Wellies in Support of RNLI

16th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

The 2017 World Irish Dancing Championships come to a close in Dublin today but not before a group of the budding dance stars swapped their pumps and hard shoes for the RNLI’s yellow wellies to show their support for Mayday,…

The Skerries inshore lifeboat takes the motor boat under tow to Rush

Skerries Lifeboat Assists Small Motor Vessel Amid Changing Conditions

16th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI were tasked yesterday afternoon (15 April) to a small motor boat with three on board that had failed to return to port as expected. Dublin Coast Guard tasked Skerries RNLI shortly after 1pm after receiving a…

The 40ft cruiser ran aground by the Scilly Islands on Lough Derg

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Assist Ten After Motor Cruiser Runs Aground

16th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

On Saturday afternoon, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat to launch to assist 10 people after their 40ft cruiser ran aground by the Scilly Islands on Lough Derg. Valentia Coast Guard informed the lifeboat that the Killaloe Coast…

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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