RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Union Hall RNLI’s crew and shore crew, from left: Peter Olden, Richie O’Mahony, Charlie Deasy, Stephen Hurley, Niamh Collins and Denis Nolan

Union Hall Lifeboat Goes to Aid of Lone Boater in Punt

20th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Union Hall RNLI in West Cork were paged by Valentia Coast Guard at 8.55am on Friday (19 August) to go to the aid of a lone boater in a punt. The lifeboat Christine and Raymond Fielding, under helm Stephen Hurley…

Skerries RNLI approaching the mother and child on a paddleboard some 200m from the shore at Balbriggan on Thursday evening 18 August

Skerries Lifeboat Crew Rescue Mother and Child Blown Out to Sea on Paddleboard

20th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI were tasked on Thursday evening (18 August) following 999 calls to Dublin Coast Guard reporting a mother and child on a paddleboard being blown out to sea near Balbriggan. The north Co Dublin lifeboat’s volunteer crew launched within…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier

Lough Derg Lifeboat Assists Family of Four on Cruiser With Engine Failure

20th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

On Thursday afternoon (August 18), Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to assist a family of four on a 43ft cruiser with engine failure, adrift in heavy weather. At 5.02pm, the inshore lifeboat Jean Spier launched with helm Steve…

RNLI deputy chair Eddie Donaldson with Jo May from the Portrush and Portstewart fundraising team who received her 40-year award

RNLI in Northern Ireland Celebrates ‘Excellence in Volunteering’

17th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

RNLI stations in Northern Ireland are celebrating several volunteers who were presented with long-service medals at Belfast Castle recently. Held this year for the first time since the Covid pandemic, the event was attended by the deputy chairman of the…

Skerries RNLI towing the broken-down RIB from the waters off Lambay Island on Sunday afternoon 14 August

Busy Weekend With Four Callouts for Skerries Lifeboat Crew

16th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Following a busy lead-in to the weekend with three callouts in 24 hours, the volunteers at Skerries RNLI in north Co Dublin were kept on their toes by four calls between Saturday and Sunday. Shortly before 1pm on Saturday afternoon…

Cora Cassidy, Jim & Robert Wyatt Daly meet Stormy Stan at a previous open day

Bundoran RNLI Emergency Services Open Day this Sunday

16th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Final preparations are being made for this Sunday’s RNLI & Emergency Services Open Day, which will be held at Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Station from 1-4 pm. The open day, which was last held in 2019, will showcase the equipment and…

175-year-old lifeboat house in Kilmore Quay

Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Station Marking 175 Years of Service in Wexford

15th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

This summer marks 175 years since a lifeboat service was first established in Kilmore Quay. The occasion will be celebrated with an exhibition curated by local author and historian, John Power, over the weekend August 26-28 in the Stella Maris…

Kilmore Quay RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat and the stricken 10m yacht as seen from the lifeboat’s Y-boat

Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Assists Three People Across Two Weekend Callouts

15th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Kilmore Quay RNLI were called in the early hours of Saturday (13 August) to assist a lone sailor whose yacht had run aground just outside Kilmore Quay harbour, having also launched the previous afternoon to assist two people whose yacht…

Wicklow RNLI Assist Two Vessels with Engine Failure

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI volunteers brought five people to safety during two call-outs on Saturday (13 August) after their boats suffered engine failure off the Wicklow coast. The first call-out came at 4:30 pm, when the all-weather lifeboat slipped its moorings from…

Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Assists Injured Child on Bere Island

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Castletownbere RNLI was launched last night (Saturday, 13 August 2022) just after 22:00 to go to the assistance of an 11-year-old child who had fallen on Bere Island off the coast of West Cork. Castletownbere lifeboat volunteer crew were requested…

Marker buoys on the River Shannon near the M6 Bridge in Athlone, Co. Westmeath mark the spot the speedboat sank

Lough Ree RNLI Called to Assist Ten People as Speedboat Sinks in Athlone

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

At 9.44 pm (Saturday 13 August) Lough Ree RNLI was tasked by the Irish Coast Guard to assist 10 people on board a speedboat in danger of sinking on the River Shannon near the M6 Bridge in Athlone, Co. Westmeath.…

Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat on Lough Erne

Busy Start to Weekend for Carrybridge Lifeboat Assisting 11 People Across Four Boats in One Evening

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Douglas Euan & Kay Richards was launched at the request of Belfast Coastguard shortly after 6.33pm on Friday evening (12 August) to a vessel which had got into difficulties in shallow water close to Naan Island.…

Youghal Lifeboat Launches to Pleasure Craft Adrift on River Blackwater

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Youghal RNLI in East Cork were called on Friday evening (12 August) to assist two people on a pleasure craft that had suffered engine failure on the River Blackwater. The Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launched at 7.17pm and arrived on…

Skerries RNLI standing by at Loughshinny as Howth Coast Guard, assisted by the Skerries unit, successfully carried out a cliff rescue

Three Callouts in 24 hours for Skerries Lifeboat Before Hot Weather Weekend

14th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI responded to their third emergency in 24 hours on Friday evening (12 August) when they were tasked by Dublin Coast Guard to stand by a small boat on Donabate Strand as it refloated after running aground earlier in…

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

Lough Derg Lifeboat Launches to Vessel Adrift in Youghal Bay

12th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Two people sleeping on a boat on Lough Derg had a rude awakening this morning (Friday 12 August) when the local lifeboat alerted that their vessel was adrift in Youghal Bay. Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to launch…

Claire Morgan, Denis Cronin and Youghal crew, Noel Joyce and Karen Walsh

Family Rescued from Capsized 420 Dinghy in Cork Harbour

11th August 2022 Cork Harbour

A grandfather, his daughter and grandson, ended up in the water when their 420 dinghy capsized East of Whitegate Oil Refinery in Cork Harbour. The volunteer RNLI crew of Denis Cronin, Claire Morgan and two crew from Youghal Lifeboat Station,…

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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