RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Crosshaven RNLI Rescue Person Cut off by Tide in Cork Harbour

12th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Crosshaven RNLI Lifeboat Pagers were activated at 6.25 pm on Tuesday evening (11 October) to attend to a person cut off by the tide at White Bay, Cork Harbour. The high tide was fast approaching and the casualty was soaked by…

Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat carried out the rescue nine miles east of Ballycotton Island

Ballycotton RNLI Rescues One Person Onboard Fishing Boat with Engine Failure

11th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

An eight-metre fishing boat that suffered mechanical failure nine nautical miles east of Ballycotton island yesterday evening (Monday 10 October) was brought to safety by lifeboat crew from Ballycotton and Youghal RNLI. Ballycotton RNLI Lifeboat The Austin Lidbury was requested…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier approaching the stricken yacht

Lough Derg Lifeboats Assists Two on Yacht Aground on Shoal Near Terryglass Harbour

9th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI’s volunteers were requested on Saturday afternoon (8 October) to assist two people on a 16ft yacht aground on a shoal near Terryglass Harbour. The inshore lifeboat Jean Spier was launched at 5.05pm with helm Eleanor Hooker and crew Tom…

October's Helvick Head & Dungarvan RNLI Dinner Dance celebrates 25 years of station reopening on the Waterford coast

Helvick Head & Dungarvan RNLI Dinner Dance Celebrates 25 Years of Lifeboat Station Reopening

7th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

October's Helvick Head & Dungarvan RNLI Dinner Dance celebrates 25 years of station reopening on the Waterford coast. The event takes place on October 22nd at the Park Hotel in Dungarvan. Tickets are €50 each, including a four-course meal and…

Courtmacsherry RNLI's all-weather lifeboat Frederick Storey Cockburn

Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Rescues Three Fishermen After Boat Gets Into Difficulty

5th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtmacsherry RNLI's all-weather lifeboat Frederick Storey Cockburn was called out at 10.40am on Tuesday morning (4 October) to help three people on a 70ft fishing boat in difficulty 22 miles offshore, southeast of the Old Head of Kinsale in West…

Portaferry RNLI volunteers were recognised for their contributions at a special dinner on Friday 9 September 2022

18 Portaferry Lifeboat Volunteers Rewarded for Dedication to Saving Lives at Sea

5th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

A group of 18 volunteers from Portaferry RNLI in Northern Ireland have been rewarded and recognised for their dedication to saving lives at sea. At a special meal held in the Co Down coastal town on Friday 9 September, two…

Crosshaven RNLI launched its inshore lifeboat 32 times with our volunteer crew bringing 54 people to safety in Cork Harbour

Tickets on Sale for Lifeboat Lunch as Crosshaven RNLI Celebrates 22 Years of Saving Lives at Sea in Cork Harbour

4th October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The Lifeboat Lunch, a fundraising event which will see proceeds raised go to Crosshaven RNLI in Cork Harbour, will take place next month as the station prepares to mark 22 years of saving lives at sea. Tickets for the lunch…

Inismore RNLI Visitor Experience (From L-R) Caelán Cullen-Quinn, Tommy Dirrane, Padraig Éinne Dillane, Daniel O’Connell, Coxswain John O’Donnell, Treasurer Margaret Gill, RNLI Head of Region Anna Classon, Station Mechanic Mairtin Coyne, Lena O’Connell, Alan O’Flynn, Ronan MacGiollaphadraig and Máirtín Ó Flaithearta. Seated is Aran Islands Lifeboat Operations Manager Michael T. Hernon

Aran Islands RNLI Opens New Visitor Experience and Lifeboat Shop on Inis Mór

3rd October 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Aran Islands RNLI officially opened their new shop and Visitor Experience on Inis Mór this weekend, raising vital funds for the charity that saves lives at sea and awareness of the work of the lifeboat crew serving the islands. The…

The Prince and Princess of Wales meet crew members at RNLI Holyhead

The New Prince and Princess of Wales Visit Holyhead RNLI in First Visit Since Appointment

28th September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Holyhead RNLI volunteers were honoured to welcome Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales on Tuesday, during a whistle-stop tour that brought them back to the island they once called home. The Royal couple met lifeboat crew members…

File image of Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier

Lough Derg Lifeboat Assists Three on Cruiser Adrift in Scariff Bay

26th September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

On Sunday afternoon (25 September), Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to assist three people on a 30ft cruiser reported adrift in Scariff Bay, southeast of Mountshannon Harbour. The inshore lifeboat Jean Spier launched at 3.47pm with helm Eleanor Hooker, Owen…

Just over half of fishers interviewed said they do not always wear their PFD at sea

BIM Teams Up with RNLI to Highlight Lifesaving Strategies for Fishers at Sea

23rd September 2022 BIM

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, has partnered up with the RNLI to deliver a series of one-day Man Overboard experiences aimed at Irish Fishers this autumn. The aim is to highlight the importance of wearing a correctly…

Aran Islands RNLI official opening of shop and Visitor Experience poster

Aran Islands RNLI to Officially Open New ‘Visitor Experience’ and Shop on Inis Mór

23rd September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI’s most westerly shop in Ireland will officially open its doors next Saturday 1 October from 1-4pm on Inis Mór, raising vital lifesaving funds for the charity that saves lives at sea. And the day will also see the…

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

Wicklow Lifeboat Assists Lone Sailor Fouled in Ropes

22nd September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI went to the assistance of a lone sailor on Tuesday morning (20 September) after his vessel got fouled in ropes. The all-weather lifeboat Joanna and Henry Williams slipped its moorings from the south quay at 8.50am following a…

File image of Ballyglass RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat

Early Morning Callout for Ballyglass Lifeboat to Assist Four Fishermen in Donegal Bay

21st September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Ballyglass RNLI came to aid of four fishermen in Donegal Bay in the early hours of Wednesday morning (21 September) after their 55ft trawler got into difficulty overnight. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat by Malin…

Mr. John Payne (right), presents David Maloney with the RNLI commendation. In doing so, the charity wished to acknowledge his brave actions that night and recognise it as a life saved by an RNLI volunteer

Rosslare Lifeboat Volunteer Presented with RNLI Award for Brave Rescue of a Woman off Stricken Yacht

21st September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Former Rosslare RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, David Maloney has been awarded a Commendation from the Operations Director of the RNLI for his role in a rescue in September 2016, where his actions saved the life of a woman trapped in…

The RNLI Helvick Head Atlantic inshore lifeboat.

Snorkeller Prompts False Alarm with Good Intent at Helvick Head RNLI

21st September 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Helvick Head RNLI was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat on Tuesday afternoon, 20 September, following a report that a swimmer was in difficulty off Clonea beach. With calm seas and Force 2-3 south westerly winds, the volunteer crew launched…

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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