RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

File image of Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Youghal Lifeboat Retrieves Drifting Boat After Concerned Onlooker Raises Alarm

5th January 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Youghal RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat launched yesterday morning (Tuesday 4 January) to a report from a member of the public who saw a boat drifting out to sea. The lifeboat crew located the 12ft punt at 10.15am drifting from Youghal Bridge…

Tommy Kehoe (11) with fellow charity swimmers and some of the volunteer crew of Kilmore Quay RNLI

Young Charity Swimmer Tops €1K in Aid of Kilmore Quay Lifeboat

4th January 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Eleven-year-old Tommy Kehoe was one of around 60 sea swimmers who completed a fundraising challenge on the Little Beach in Kilmore Quay on New Year’s Eve in aid of the Co Wexford village’s RNLI lifeboat. Organised by local women Melinda…

First Call Out of the Year for Howth RNLI Sees Lifeboat Crew aid Paddleboarders & Kayakers

3rd January 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer lifeboat crew of Howth RNLI had their first launch of 2022 yesterday (Sunday 2 January) to paddleboarders in difficulty off the coast of Portmarnock Beach. Immediately after that, they were tasked to rescue a group of kayakers who…

Right-Wing Attacks Backfire as Humanitarian Work in English Channel Drives Bumper Fundraising Year for RNLI

2nd January 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI has recorded a bumper year in donations driven largely by public support for its humanitarian work in the English Channel, as the Guardian reports. Online donations to the charity that saves lives at sea have risen by 50%…

New Year’s Day Surfer Callout with Good Intent for Bundoran RNLI

2nd January 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer crew of the Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat was called out to reports of a surfer in difficulty on New Year’s Day afternoon. The emergency call was placed to Malin Head Coast Guard just after 3 pm on Saturday (1st…

Baltimore RNLI Called Out for Medical Evacuation from Cape Clear Island

31st December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI were called out to provide a medical evacuation yesterday (Thursday 30 December) from Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 9.26 am, following a request to bring…

Skerries RNLI volunteers with their long-service awards

Skerries Lifeboat Volunteers Receive Long-Service Awards Totalling 190 Years

31st December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Over the course of 2021, volunteers with Skerries RNLI were presented with long-service awards totalling 190 years of volunteering with the charity that saves lives at sea. Due to restrictions on gatherings, the north Co Dublin lifeboat station was unable…

RNLI Partners With The Boat Race for 2022

29th December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI recently launched its partnership as the official charity partner of The Gemini Boat Race 2022, which is set for Sunday 3 April. Since 2002, the RNLI’s Chiswick lifeboat station has supported The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge…

Air Ambulance NI in the skies above a HM Coastguard search and rescue vehicle

Two Swimmers Rescued From Belfast Lough During Christmas Day Swim

27th December 2021 Rescue

Two open water swimmers who got into difficulty during their Christmas Day swim near Bangor in Northern Ireland have been praised for wearing kit that made it easier to find them. The pair were reported to be having problems in…

Rescue teams recover residents from their homes in flooded Bridgetown, Co Wexford on Christmas Day

Coastguard & Lifeboat Crews Called to Rescue People Trapped in Their Homes After Christmas Day Flooding in Wexford

27th December 2021 Rescue

Fethard RNLI joined Kilmore Quay’s coastguard unit in a multi-agency operation to rescue local residents trapped in their homes by heavy flooding on Christmas Day, according to RTÉ News. It’s reported that a number of people in the village of…

The short service at the end of the East Pier commemorated all lives lost around our coasts and on inland waters in 2021

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Christmas Eve Ceremony Marks 200th Anniversary of Four Crew Lost at Sea

24th December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

The annual Dun Laoghaire RNLI Christmas Eve ceremony was held this afternoon to honour the memory of 15 lifeboat volunteers who died on service 126 years ago. This year’s ceremony also marked the 200th anniversary of the death of four…

File image of Wexford RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Wexford Lifeboat Crew Member With 10 Years’ Experience Is Ready to Take the Helm This Christmas

24th December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteering for the RNLI is truly a family affair for lifeboat crews in Co Wexford. While Robbie Connolly is looking forward to his first Christmas on call since becoming a helm at Wexford RNLI earlier this year, his father-in-law Eugene…

From left: Simon Kidney, Matthew Nelson, Brian Sammon, John Sammon and Simon Carson are five of Carrybridge RNLI’s latest recruits

Father & Son Among New RNLI Crew Having First Christmas On Call on Lough Erne

24th December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

A father and son from Bellanaleck are among eight new lifeboat crew members who will carry pagers for the first time this Christmas at Carrybridge and Enniskillen RNLI in Northern Ireland. As the RNLI continues its Christmas Appeal, Brian and…

Brother and sister Dominic and Cornelia Lyne with their father Nealie, all three volunteers with Valentia RNLI

Lifesaving a Family Affair for Valentia Siblings & Father This Christmas

23rd December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

A brother and sister who volunteer to save lives at sea with Valentia RNLI have called on the public to support the charity’s Christmas Appeal. Dominic and Cornelia Lyne will be on call, along with their colleagues at the Kerry…

Ania Skrzypczynska and Richard Nolan are two of the five new crew heading into their first Christmas on call with Lough Derg RNLI

First Christmas On Call for Five New Crew Members at Lough Derg RNLI

23rd December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

A busy mother of one is among five new volunteer crew members who will be on call for the first time this Christmas at Lough Derg RNLI. Polish native Ania Skrzypczynska is preparing to swap traditional festivities for the cold…

Mark Boyle holding his grandfather’s RNLI Gold Medal for Gallantry

Grandson of Donegal Coxswain Recognised for Gallantry During WWII Returns From Boston to Join Arranmore’s Lifesaving Crew

23rd December 2021 RNLI Lifeboats

The grandson of a distinguished Donegal coxswain, who was awarded the RNLI’s Gold Medal for Gallantry for his role in the rescue of 18 crew on a Dutch steamer in 1940, has returned home from Boston to become the third…

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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