RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

John McColgan Photographic Exhibition in Aid of Howth RNLI Opened by Gay Byrne

31st March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – On Monday broadcaster Gay Byrne officially opened the Howth Horizons exhibition of photographs taken by John McColgan, the multi-award winning director and producer of Riverdance. The exhibition runs until 20th April at The House restaurant in Howth. All…

Red Bay Lifeboat Launches To Aid Lone Yachtsman In Poor Weather

30th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI's lifeboat crew went to the aid of a lone yachtsman some 1.5 miles off Glenarm in Co Antrim yesterday evening (Sunday 29 March). The volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 6.10pm to assist the 25-foot yacht, which was…

Wicklow Lifeboat Launches To Rescue Kitesurfer

30th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 5.10pm on Saturday (28 March) to assist a kitesurfer in difficulty off Potters Point, south of Wicklow Head. The kitesurfer was unable to get ashore after leaving the beach at Jack’s Hole.…

Irish Sailors Called on to Help RNLI With Research

27th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#lifeboat – A new research project being run by the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) is exploring attitudes towards risk and safety, and the various ways in which yacht sailors participate in their sport. Over 620 recreational sailors were rescued by…

Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Tows Lone Yachtsman To Safety

23rd March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI was requested by the Irish Coast Guard to assist a 12-metre yacht which had lost all power due to a generator failure at 12.50am in the early hours of this morning (Monday 23 March). The…

Howth Lifeboat Rescues Three From Grounded Motorboat

23rd March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Howth RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 6.30pm yesterday evening (Sunday 22 March) to reports a motorboat was taking on water at the entrance to Malahide Estuary. The vessel with three people aboard, which had run aground, was quickly located…

Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat Crew Rescue Walkers on Fair Head

21st March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#redbayrnli – Lifeboat crew with Red Bay RNLI launched this afternoon to go to the aid of three walkers who got into difficulty on the Boulder Field at Fair Head, County Antrim. The two men and one teenager raised the…

Couple Say 'I Do' After Meeting, Saving Lives At Sea With Clifden Lifeboat

21st March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The Clifden RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew scrambled into their kit for a special callout recently when they provided a guard of honour for their two fellow lifeboat crew Alan Pryce and Sinéad O’Sullivan, who tied the knot in…

Lough Swilly RNLI To Welcome First Shannon Class Lifeboat to Ireland

20th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Final preparations are being put in place for 'the Homecoming', which will see Lough Swilly RNLI receive the first Shannon class lifeboat in Ireland. The station is planning a special celebration, as the €2.4 million lifeboat arrives into…

RNLI Lifeboat Seeks Mayday Volunteers

19th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnilmayday – The RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, is issuing its own call for help, appealing for volunteers and fundraisers to get involved with 'Mayday', the organisation's forthcoming national fundraising event which will take place from 1–4…

Women Wanted For Northern Ireland Lifeboat Crews

16th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#Lifeboats - Donaghadee's lifeboat station is putting out a new call for volunteers - and women are particularly welcome, as UTV News reports. The Ards Peninsula town, just outside of Belfast Lough, hosts one of Northern Ireland's nine RNLI lifeboat…

Bangor Lifeboat Launched To Search For Missing Vessel

15th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - RNLI Bangor's lifeboat launched at 7.55pm last night (Saturday 14 March) to search for a missing 12ft RIB with two persons on board after the alarm was raised by Belfast Coastguard. Within minutes of the rescue pagers being…

Charity Cycle For Lough Ree Lifeboat

10th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI held a press launch on Saturday (7 March) to announce their upcoming Lap of Lough Ree charity cycle, which will take place on Sunday 29 March. The cycle will start and finish at The Bounty,…

Arklow Lifeboat's Sunday Afternoon Launch To Fishing Vessel

9th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Arklow's RNLI lifeboat Ger Tigchleaar was launched within minutes in response to a call for help from a local fishing vessel yesterday afternoon (Sunday 8 March). The vessel had suffered engine failure and was without navigation ability approximately…

Newcastle Lifeboat Men Receive RNLI Awards for Service to Saving Lives at Sea

9th March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Two long-serving Newcastle RNLI volunteers have received awards from the charity for their tireless work and dedication to saving lives at sea. Deputy Launching Authority Joe McClelland and All Weather lifeboat crewmember William Wilson were presented with the…

No Time To Lose As Clogherhead Trawler Sunk Without Trace

2nd March 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - RNLI Magazine revisits the fateful day last summer off Co Louth when a fishing trawler went under in a matter of minutes. Despite the clear day and calm seas, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the razor clam boat…

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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