RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew pass a wreath to be laid at sea during the annual Christmas Eve Lifeboat Tragedy commemoration at the East Pier

Christmas Eve Lifeboat Tragedy Remembered at Dun Laoghaire RNLI Ceremony on the East Pier

24th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboat crew gathered today (Christmas Eve) to lay wreaths on Dublin Bay and remember 15 of their lifeboat colleagues who were lost while on service in gale force conditions to the SS Palme that had run…

The Dun Laoghaire RNLI and local Coastguard reunite the labrador dog with her owners at the steps of the new Roger Casement Pier at Dun Laoghaire baths

RNLI Rescues Labrador from Rocks at Dun Laoghaire Baths

21st December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The Coast Guard requested the Dun Laoghaire Harbour lifeboat crew to assist in the rescue of the Labrador who had slipped into the sea while out on a walk with her owners. The crew were alerted shortly before 9 pm after…

Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat operating off Dalkey Island on Dublin Bay

Christmas Eve Lifeboat Tragedy Remembered by Dun Laoghaire RNLI at Annual Ceremony

21st December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

At noon this Christmas Eve at the end of the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew will gather to lay wreaths at sea and remember 15 of their lifeboat colleagues who were lost while on service…

Arklow RNLI Hurry to the Curry event banner

“Hurry to the Curry” Fundraiser Returns in Aid of Arklow RNLI

19th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Following a two-year break, Arklow RNLI’s Hurry to the Curry fundraiser returns on Friday 27 January at the Arklow Bay Hotel from 8pm. Also known as Dan’s Lifeboat Special, the event has gone from strength to strength and continues to…

Helena Duggan with a 3D woodcut of Lough Derg by artist Henri Bocxe

Lough Derg RNLI Volunteers Thank Assessor Trainer of Almost 20 Years With Surprise Party

18th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

An RNLI assessor trainer who has delivered training and assessments at Lough Derg RNLI for almost 20 years was treated to a surprise leaving party by station volunteers this week. On Wednesday (14 December), Helena Duggan and her fellow assessor…

Howth RNLI Recalls Christmas Day Call out Five Years Ago as Charity Appeals for Support to Save Lives at Sea

15th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

As the RNLI launches its Christmas appeal asking for help to continue its lifesaving work at sea, Howth RNLI Coxswain Fred Connolly has been recalling a Christmas Day call out five years ago. Like hundreds of volunteers around Ireland, Fred…

The current cold snap means added risks to consider when participating in water activities

Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland Issue Cold Weather Warnings for Water Activities

13th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

With the current icy weather warnings in place throughout the country, the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal urging people to be aware of the added danger at our aquatic environments and…

Crosshaven RNLI’s Holly Fegan with her father James at the Cork Harbour station’s inshore lifeboat

Families On Call This Christmas With Cork and Kerry Lifeboat Stations Ready to Save Lives at Sea

12th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

It’s a family affair across RNLI lifeboat crews on call in Cork and Kerry for the Christmas holiday period. In Crosshaven and Ballycotton respectively, a father and daughter and a husband and wife are among the RNLI families in Cork…

Poster for RNLI Coffee Morning in Fethard-on-Sea

“12 Swims of Christmas” Bathers Holding Coffee Morning in Fethard in Aid of RNLI

10th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Fethard RNLI’s friends in the Baginbun-based sea swim group Hooked on Swimming are doing the 12 Swims of Christmas in aid of the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, as previously reported on Afloat.ie. This Sunday 11 December…

SCUBA divers dressed in Santa suits congregate in the water in a harbour as a rigid inflatable lifeboat passes behind

Santa SCUBA Dive for RNLI Returns at Bulloch Harbour This Sunday

9th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

This Sunday 11 December, SCUBA divers dressed in Santa suits will once again dive into the sea water at Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey to raise money for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. The annual diving event…

A file photo of Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat in West Cork

Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Assists Fishing Vessel in Difficulty

5th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched today (Monday 5th December 2022) at 12:45 to go to the immediate assistance of a fishing trawler, drifting without power, between Dinish Island and Bere Island in West Cork. A thirty-metre fishing vessel raised the…

File image of Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Joanna and Henry Williams

Busy Start to Weekend With Two Friday Callouts for Wicklow Lifeboat Volunteers

5th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat assisted fishing vessels during two separate callouts on Friday (2 December). The first came at 8:15am following a pager alert, with the all-weather lifeboat Joanna and Henry Williams slipping its moorings at the South Quay and…

Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat delivers a hamper to share some Christmas cheer with Kish lighthouse keepers in 1992

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI’s First “Jingle Mingle” Raises €2,500

29th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI hosted their first annual "Jingle Mingle" in their RNLI shop on Saturday, 26 November and brought in €2,500 for the charity. While raising vital funds, this event brought together and celebrated all the volunteers at Dun…

Portrush CE Commendation: Portrush RNLI Coxswain Des Austin holds the RNLI’s Chief Executive Commendation with the lifeboat crew from the station

Three RNLI Lifeboat Crews Receive Award for Rescue of Fishing Vessel Crew off Fanad Head

28th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Lifeboat crews from Lough Swilly and Arranmore in County Donegal, along with Portrush in county Antrim, have received an award from the RNLI for a callout in 2019 as Afloat reported at the time, which saw the rescuers at sea…

Fethard sea swimming group 'Hooked on Swimming', has begun its '12 swims of Christmas'. Until their final swim on New Year's Day, the swimmers will brave the elements and swim 12 times for the RNLI. The 12 Swims group began last year and has grown from strength to strength, now comprising 140 swimmers

Fethard RNLI Launches Christmas Fundraising Activities to Help Save Lives at Sea

24th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Fethard RNLI’s fundraising branch has begun to distribute RNLI Christmas cards to local shops and businesses, while local swimming group Hooked on Swimming have begun their 12 swims of Christmas fundraiser which will see proceeds raised to power the lifesaving…

Exterior of Enniskillen RNLI’s new state-of-the-art inland lifeboat station at dusk

Enniskillen RNLI’s New Lifeboat Station Now Complete and Operational on Lough Erne

23rd November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI’s new inland lifeboat station on Lower Lough Erne is complete and fully operational. The station team at Enniskillen RNLI are now looking for new volunteers to join the crew in several roles including lifeboat crew, shore crew, deputy…

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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