RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Wicklow Lifeboat In Search For Overdue Kayakers

29th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched at 8.37pm last night (Monday 28 August) to search for an overdue kayak. The two kayakers on board were reported overdue to the Irish Coast Guard by a concerned relative after he lost…

Larne RNLI assisting a motor boat with engine difficulties on Wednesday 23 August

Three Launches In Three Days For Larne Lifeboats

28th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - It was a busy week for the volunteer crew at Larne RNLI last week with three launches for the Co Antrim lifeboats in three days. On Tuesday 22 August, Larne’s all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat were launched following…

Carrybridge RNLI’s volunteer crew secure a rope to tow a cruiser with motor troubles off the rocks

Carrybridge Lifeboat Rescues Cruiser From Rocks

25th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Carrybridge RNLI’s lifeboat and rescue water craft were requested on Wednesday afternoon (23 August) to launch to a 30ft cruiser which had encountered fuel issues and drifted onto rocks on Upper Lough Erne. The casualty vessel, with two…

Lough Derg’s inshore lifeboat on callout to the grounded cruiser on Monday afternoon

Lough Derg Lifeboat Assists Six On Grounded Cruiser

23rd August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launched on Monday afternoon (21 August) to assist six people after their 30ft cruiser ran aground behind the Corakeen Islands near Dromineer Bay. The lifeboat launched on request from Valentia Coast Guard with…

Wicklow’s inshore lifeboat crew bring the casualty ashore

Wicklow Lifeboat In Medevac For Injured Sailor

21st August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launched yesterday afternoon (Sunday 20 August) to assist Wicklow Ambulance Service with the medevac of a sailor who sustained injuries while sailing in the bay. The lifeboat crew, comprising helm David O’Leary, Graham Fitzgerald…

Arranmore RNLI volunteers assist the trawler during their 14-hour callout early yesterday

Arranmore Lifeboat On Marathon Rescue Mission For Stricken Trawler

19th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Arranmore RNLI's lifeboat crew responded to their third callout in a week early yesterday (Friday 18 August) to assist a fishing trawler with five people on board which got into difficulty after engine failure. The fishing vessel, which…

Baltimore Lifeboat Launches To Boat Aground In Heavy Fog

18th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI launched in the early hours of yesterday morning (Thursday 17 August) after a boat ran aground in heavy fog near the West Cork village. The volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 00.39am to assist the 50ft…

The Dunleary is back home 80 years after moving across the Irish Sea for lifesaving service in Lancashire

Dunleary Lifeboat Returns To Home Port After 80 Years

16th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#Lifeboats - A lifeboat once stationed in Dun Laoghaire almost a century ago has returned to the harbour thanks to the efforts of a local restoration group. The Dunleary was secured in the Coal Harbour yesterday (Tuesday 15 August) after…

Baltimore Lifeboat Aids Sailors After Yacht Loses Power Off Mizen Head

15th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI assisted two sailors yesterday evening (Monday 14 August) after their yacht lost power off Mizen Head in West Cork. The alarm was raised earlier in the afternoon following a report from the crew of a 26ft…

Valentia Lifeboat Assists Three On Fishing Vessel With Mechanical Failure

14th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Valentia RNLI volunteers launched their all-weather lifeboat on Saturday morning (12 August) to assist three people onboard a fishing vessel with mechanical failure. At 9.23am, Valentia Coast Guard requested the local lifeboat station to assist the vessel one…

Teen Anglers Rescued In Glandore Harbour By Union Hall Lifeboat

12th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Union Hall RNLI were tasked yesterday evening (Friday 11 August) by Valentia Coast Guard to a 16ft pleasure craft with five teenagers aboard that suffered engine failure in West Cork’s Glandore Harbour. The lifeboat was launched and underway…

Fethard’s all-weather lifeboat tows in a boat with two on board after their vessel suffered engine failure

Fethard Lifeboat Launches To Aid Of Boat With Engine Failure

11th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The volunteer crew with Fethard RNLI were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat shortly before noon yesterday (Thursday 10 August) following a call from a vessel with two on board who had got into difficulty when their engine failed.…

Ballycotton Lifeboat In 10-Hour Callout To Assist Fastnet Yacht Rescue

11th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Ballycotton RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat on Wednesday afternoon (9 August) to aid a yacht in difficulty some 84 miles south of the East Cork village. Vencom, a Ker 39 with 10 people onboard, was returning from the…

Baltimore RNLI safely secures the stricken Fastnet Race yacht in Baltimore Harbour

Baltimore Lifeboat Rescues 13 On Stricken Fastnet Yacht

10th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Thirteen people were brought safely ashore by Baltimore RNLI after their Fastnet Race yacht got into difficulty in the early hours of yesterday morning (Wednesday 9 August). The volunteer lifeboat crew were alerted by the Irish Coast Guard…

Ireland’s RNLI crews - including Castletownbere above - will feature in the 12-part documentary that starts on Wednesday 16 August on BBC Two

Irish Lifeboat Crews Feature In New BBC TV Series ‘Saving Lives At Sea’

9th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lifeboat crews from Ireland will feature in a new 12-part Last year alone, RNLI lifeboats in Ireland documentary for the BBC. Saving Lives at Sea, showcasing the lifesaving work of the RNLI, starts next Wednesday 16 August at…

Baltimore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat crew tows a RIB with two on board to safety

Fastnet Callout Sees Baltimore Lifeboat Bring Two To Safety

9th August 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Two people watching the Fastnet Race fleet round the famous rock from a RIB yesterday (Tuesday 8 August) were rescued by Baltimore RNLI when their boat lost power. The volunteer lifeboat crew, who were already on exercise in…

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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