RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Rosslare Harbour’s all-weather lifeboat establishes a tow with the troubled yacht off the Wicklow coast

Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Assists Yacht Off Wicklow Coast

4th May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI assisted three men onboard a yacht yesterday evening (Wednesday 3 May) after it got into difficulty off the Wicklow coast. The all-weather lifeboat, under coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke and with six volunteer crew members onboard, launched…

Arklow RNLI was first requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat for a 23ft yacht was in difficulty somewhere near Arklow Bank

Arklow RNLI Responds to Three Consecutive Call Outs Bringing Eight People to Safety

4th May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

Arklow RNLI responded to three consecutive call outs yesterday evening (Wednesday 3 May) bringing three yachts with eight onboard, safely to shore. The volunteer crew who spent six hours at sea, was first requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat shortly…

The lifeboat which went on service in February this year was funded by Gladys Audrey Deakin

Wicklow RNLI to Name New Inshore Lifeboat

3rd May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

A new inshore lifeboat for Wicklow RNLI is to be officially named Dennis-Audrey during a ceremony at the lifeboat station at 4pm this Saturday 6 May. The lifeboat which went on service in February this year was funded by Gladys…

Howth RNLI's all-weather lifeboat prepares to tow the stranded yacht to safety

Stranded Yacht Towed To Safety By Howth Lifeboat

2nd May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Howth RNLI launched its all-weather and inshore lifeboats yesterday (Monday 1 May) to reports of a sailing yacht with steering failure at the entrance to Malahide Estuary. The inshore lifeboat was first on scene and located the casualty…

Lough Ree RNLI’s inshore lifeboat The Eric Rowse

Lough Ree Lifeboat Rescues Cruiser With Seven On Board From Shannon Mud Bank

1st May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Just hours after attending a grounded barge at the northern end of the lough, the volunteer crew of Lough Ree RNLI were back on the water yesterday morning (Sunday 30 April) to assist a motor cruiser with seven…

Baltimore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Alice and Charles

Baltimore Lifeboat Tasked To Boat Broken From Moorings & Report Of Flare Sighting

1st May 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched on Saturday night (29 May) to assist a boat that had broken from its moorings in Baltimore Harbour. Concerned for the safety of a person seen trying to access the boat from…

Lough Ree RNLI assisting the 56ft barge near Blackwood Point

Lough Ree Lifeboat Attends Grounded Barge & Stray Hire Vessel In Busy Saturday

30th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI’s lifeboat crew were alerted by the Irish Coast Guard yesterday morning (Saturday 29 April) when a 56ft barge with three people on board ran hard aground on rocks close to Blackwood Point, at the northern…

Wicklow Lifeboat Assists Fisherman Adrift Near Kiloughter Beach

30th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's all-weather lifeboat launched at 10.52am yesterday morning (Saturday 29 April) to search the bay for a missing fisherman. The lifeboat, under the command of coxswain Nick Keogh with a volunteer crew, proceeded north to the fisherman’s…

Rosslare Harbour Lifeboat Assists Two On Yacht Off Tuskar Rock

28th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI volunteers launched their all-weather lifeboat in the early hours of this morning (Friday 28 April) following a call for help from a yacht with two men onboard off Tuskar Rock. The 15m yacht broke its…

Of the 131 lifejackets checked, only 21% were found to be completely fault free at an RNLI safety check in Dun Laoghaire

Only 21% of Lifejackets 'Free of Faults': Dun Laoghaire RNLI Issue Lifejacket Safety Warning At Ireland's Biggest Boating Centre

28th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire RNLI is making a timely warning this Bank Holiday weekend to all lifejacket owners to ensure the appropriate safety checks are carried out by a competent agent ahead of the main boating season. The safety appeal comes following…

Bangor RNLI's inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard

Missing Toddler Report Prompts Bangor Lifeboat Launch

25th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Bangor RNLI’s volunteers launched the inshore lifeboat Jessie Hillyard yesterday evening (Monday 24 April) to reports of a missing three-year-old in the vicinity of the Jamaica Inn. Setting off in big breaking seas and a Force 8 gusting…

The 1925 ketch with three onboard was on passage from Scotland to the south coast of England when it got stranded on a sand bank in the mouth to Wexford Harbour.

Yacht on Sand Bank with Three Onboard Brought to Safety by Rosslare Harbour and Wexford RNLI (Video)

24th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

A 39ft–wooden yacht with three people onboard was brought to safety by Wexford and Rosslare Harbour RNLI in County Wexford yesterday evening. Volunteer lifeboat crew from both stations were requested to launch just before 7.30pm following a report that a…

Union Hall Lifeboat Starts Summer Season With Two Callouts

21st April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - It’s shaping up to be the start of a busy season for the volunteer lifeboat crew at Union Hall RNLI with two callouts in less than two weeks. On Saturday 8 April, the inshore lifeboat launched at 12.14pm…

Ballycotton’s inshore lifeboat with Paudie the dog after his rescue from the cliff side

Ballycotton Lifeboat Rescues Dog Stranded On Cliff

20th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Ballycotton RNLI was launched yesterday morning (Wednesday 19 April) to rescue a dog that was stranded on the side of a cliff near the East Cork village. The all-weather and inshore lifeboats were both launched to an area…

Pictured at the presentation are from left are Daniel O'Connell, Aran Islands RNLI crew member, family member Sean Flaherty, John and Mary Harwood with the vellum, Tony Hiney, RNLI Community Fundraising Manager, John O'Donnell Aran Islands RNLI Coxswain, John Mulkerrin Aran Islands RNLI mechanic and Michael Hernon, Aran Islands RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager

RNLI Award for Gallantry Returned to Aran Islands

20th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

The grandnephew of an RNLI bowman who was awarded the charity’s bronze medal for gallantry for his part in the daring rescue of 12 people from a Greek freighter back in 1938, has made a visit from the UK to…

Busy Easter Monday For Clogherhead Lifeboat

19th April 2017 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - It was a busy Easter Monday (17 April) with two consecutive callouts for Clogherhead RNLI in Co Louth. At 6pm, the all-weather lifeboat was launched to assist a razor boat in difficulty off Mosney in Co Meath. The…

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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