RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

The scene at Portumna during the rescue of three people from a motorboat

Lough Derg RNLI Assists Three on an 18ft Motor Boat at Portumna

4th February 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI was requested to launch on Sunday afternoon (2 February), by Valentia Coast Guard to reports of three people in difficulty on an 18ft motorboat in Portumna, at the northern end of Lough Derg. At 3.49 pm, the…

Country star Robert Mizzell will play the RNLI dance at the Allingham Arms next Friday 31 January

Country Music Stars Set For Annual Bundoran Lifeboat Dance

22nd January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Country music stars Robert Mizzell and Kieran McAree are set to perform at the annual Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Dance next Friday 31 January. The dance, held this year at the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran, is the flagship fundraising event…

The RIB being towed to the safety of Carrickfergus by Larne RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat

Larne Lifeboat Assists Three On RIB With Engine Problems

20th January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI launched at 3.50pm on Saturday (18 January) to assist a RIB which had lost engine power half a mile south of Muck Island. The volunteer crew were requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard to the nine-metre RIB with…

The lifeboat crew from Castletownbere who are to receive RNLI Gallantry Awards for a rescue. L – R: Lifeboat crewmember John Paul Downey, Lifeboat Mechanic Martin O’Donoghue, Coxswain Dean Hegarty, Lifeboat crewmember Dave Fenton and Lifeboat crewmember Seamus Harrington

RNLI to Honour Cork Lifeboat Crew with Gallantry Award for Dramatic Rescue That Saved Six Lives

17th January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat crew are to be honoured by the charity for a dramatic rescue of a fishing crew that took place in challenging conditions and resulted in the lives of six fishermen being saved. Coxswain Dean Hegarty is to…

Photographer Jack Lowe with his more-than-a-century-old camera alongside Castletownbere RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Annette Hutton

Five Years In And ‘Lifeboat Station Project’ Is Getting Closer To Completion

13th January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Five years into his remarkable and challenging project to photograph all RNLI lifeboat station in the UK and Ireland with a Victorian-era camera, Jack Lowe has visited 147 stations and met more than 2,000 volunteers. And it’s not over yet,…

Graham Fitzgerald, coxswain Nick Keogh and Peter Byrne at the Wicklow RNLI New Year’s Day Annual Service of Remembrance

Wicklow RNLI Holds Annual New Year’s Service Of Remembrance

6th January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI held its annual Service of Remembrance on New Year’s Day (Wednesday 1 January) in memory of all deceased lifeboat volunteer members, sailors from the town and all those associated with the sea from Wicklow. The ceremony began with…

Brian Kehoe on board the Tamar class lifeboat Killarney

Kilmore Quay RNLI’s Station Mechanic Retires After 50 Years’ Service

3rd January 2020 RNLI Lifeboats

Brian Kehoe, station mechanic at Kilmore Quay RNLI, has retired from his position as full-time station mechanic and coxswain after serving over 50 years with the RNLI, half as a volunteer and half as an employee. Brian went afloat for…

The RNLI in Crosshaven assisted the diver

Diver Dies After Taking Ill in Cork Harbour Dive

30th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

A diver has died in hospital after taking ill during a dive to fix a mooring at a popular yacht anchorage area in Cork Harbour this afternoon. The Polish national, understood to be in his late 40s, was diving to fix a…

Howth RNLI Rescue Kitesurfer in Difficulties off Portmarnock Beach

30th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Howth RNLI launched their Inshore Lifeboat on Sunday to multiple reports of a Kitesurfer in difficulty in the waters just off the beach in Portmarnock. The RNLI pagers sounded at 11.40 am after multiple 112/999 calls from concerned members of…

Lough Derg RNLI Launch to Kayakers in the Water

29th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat launched yesterday morning at the request of Valentia Coast Guard to reports of two kayakers in the water near Garrykennedy. The volunteer lifeboat crew with Helm, Owen Cavanagh and crew Doireann Kennedy, Joe O’Sullivan and Jimmy…

Arklow RNLI in the Co Wicklow town’s harbour on a calmer day

Coastal Walking Safety Reminder After Two Washed 15ft Off Arklow Pier By Large Wave

23rd December 2019 Water Safety

Volunteers from Arklow RNLI were called to the scene where two people were injured after a wave swept them from the upper deck of a pier in the Co Wicklow town yesterday (Sunday 22 December). As TheJournal.ie reports, it’s understood…

File image of Baltimore’s all-weather lifeboat

Baltimore Lifeboat Launches To Fishing Vessel With Engine Difficulties

21st December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI was called out yesterday afternoon (Friday 20 December) to assist a fishing vessel in difficulty off the coast of the West Cork village. The all-weather lifeboat was launched at 1.16pm at the request of the Irish Coast Guard…

Deputy launching authority Brendan O’Driscoll (left) presents John Innes with a certificate of service

Retiring Youghal RNLI Volunteer Recognised For 30 Years Of Service

20th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteers of Youghal RNLI recently gathered at Berties bar in the East Cork town to mark the retirement of long-serving crew member John Innes. John first became involved in 1987 and was fully enrolled as a crew member by…

Lough Swilly, Portrush & Arranmore RNLI Rescue Five Fishermen in Storm Force Conditions (VIDEO)

16th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Swilly, Portrush and Arranmore RNLI volunteers spent almost 15 hours at sea in storm force conditions at the weekend to rescue five fishermen who got into difficulty off Fanad Head. Lough Swilly and Portrush RNLI were requested to launch…

Lifeboat volunteers from Ballycotton RNLI and Crosshaven RNLI

Cork Lifeboat Crews To Share Their Lifesaving Stories This Wednesday On RTÉ’s Nationwide

14th December 2019 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteer lifeboat crews from Crosshaven and Ballycotton RNLI in Cork will share their own stories of how they got involved with the lifesaving charity on TV for RTÉ One’s Nationwide this coming Wednesday 18 December. And the two stations will…

Santas taking the plunge at Sandycove for last year’s Santa Scuba Dive

Santa Scuba Dive Takes The Plunge For Lifeboats In Sandycove This Weekend

14th December 2019 Diving

Tomorrow at noon (Sunday 15 December) Scuba divers dressed in Santa suits will be ready to dive into the sea water off Sandycove for the annual Santa Scuba Dive. This unique Christmas event has raised over €12,000 for the 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