RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Schoolkids Raise €1,300 for Howth RNLI

28th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Children from Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa in Kilcloon, Co Meath yesterday visited the Howth RNLI lifeboat station to present a cheque for €1,300 raised by pupils through a Christmas fair and a 'Chore Tuesday' at their school. Project teams…

Kilrush RNLI Rescues Five From Stranded Boat

23rd February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI launched on Thursday afternoon (21 February) after pagers were set off by Valentia Coast Guard to the Foynes area, where it was reported that a boat had lost engine power with five people on board. Within…

Skerries RNLI Aids Stranded Powerboat

21st February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI went to the assistance of two people whose powerboat got into difficulty off the Balbriggan coast in north Co Dublin yesterday. Shortly after 6pm last night (Tuesday 19 February) the station’s volunteer lifeboat crew was requested…

Skerries RNLI Crew Shadows Ambulance Teams in Unique Learning Experience

20th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI volunteer crew recently undertook an exercise the likes of which they had not done before - shadowing a local ambulance team to observe how they respond to emergencies. Philip Ferguson, a Skerries RNLI crew member, is…

Portrush Lifeboat Rescues Stranded Kayaker

18th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Portrush RNLI has rescued a kayaker who got into difficulty off the Co Antrim coast. The volunteer lifeboat crew had an early call out on Sunday morning (17 February) to the kayaker who got into trouble on the…

Lifeboat Launched to Rescue Lough Derg Kayakers

18th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was launched to assist two Kayakers in difficulty in near gale winds at Terryglass at the northern end of Lough Derg. Yesterday afternoon Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was launched at the request of Valentia Coast…

Baltimore Lifeboat Returns to Base After Unsuccessful Search for Missing Fisherman

12th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Baltimore RNLI Lifeboat launched at 05:20 this morning 12 Feb 2013 to participate in a search for a missing Spanish fisherman. The Alan Massey, proceeded to an area 20 miles SW of Mizen Head in West Cork. Alongside…

RNLI Calls For Causeway Coast Lifeguards

8th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The RNLI is currently recruiting lifeguards to work on 10 Northern Ireland beaches for the forthcoming season including seven beaches along the Causeway Coast. The successful candidates will become part of the RNLI’s beach lifeguard team who will…

Rosslare RNLI Launches To Drifting Vessel In Severe Winds

7th February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew with Rosslare Harbour RNLI launched at 10.30am on Wednesday morning (6 February) to a fishing vessel drifting dangerously close to the shore in a force 8 gale (see video below). The vessel was located…

Distress Whistle Prompts Launch of Lough Derg Lifeboat

2nd February 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat was launched at the request of Valentia Coast Guard to investigate whether anyone was in difficulty on the lake, after they were informed that three sustained blasts from a whistle were heard from shore…

'Fact Finders' Visit Dun Laoghaire RNLI for RTÉ's 'Elev8'

31st January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Dun Laoghaire RNLI will feature on RTÉ‘s youth programme Elev8 next week. A number of the lifeboat station’s volunteer crew took time out on Monday to spend the afternoon filming a segment for the show, which will be…

Donaghdee RNLI Remembers Princess Victoria Tragedy 60 Years On

31st January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The sinking of the Princess Victoria on 31 January 1953, with the loss of 135 lives, was the worst maritime disaster in the waters of the British Isles. The Donaghadee lifeboat Sir Samuel Kelly rescued 34 from the disaster…

Lifeboat Rescues Windsurfer In Stormy Conditions

30th January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Kilkeel RNLI rescued a windsurfer who got into difficulty in Carlingford, Co Louth yesterday (Tuesday 29 January). The charity’s volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard shortly after 2pm following a report that…

Lough Swilly RNLI Featured On 'Ear to the Ground'

28th January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - RTÉ’s popular agricultural programme Ear to the Ground paid a visit to Lough Swilly RNLI recently which will feature on this week's episode on Thursday evening. Set to feature is local man Francis Burns, who along with running…

RNLI Answers More Than 400 Calls in NI in 2012

22nd January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lifeboats in Northern Ireland launched 255 times to a variety of call-outs in 2012 in a year that saw the institution's lifeboats and lifeguards answer 413 calls for help. RNLI search and rescue operations saw 236 people brought…

Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Has Highest Number of Rescues as 46 Call Outs Save 76 People

22nd January 2013 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Dun Laoghaire RNLI brought the highest number of people to safety with 76 individuals rescued by their volunteer lifeboat crews during 46 callouts in 2012. RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager for Dun Laoghaire Stephen Wynne commented: "The two RNLI…

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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