RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Aran Island GP Dr Marion Broderick is retiring

Aran Island GP Dr Marion Broderick Retiring But Will Continue with RNLI

19th June 2023 Island News

Long-serving Aran Islands GP Dr Marion Broderick is retiring but will continue as a medical officer for the RNLI lifeboat. As The Irish Independent reports today, Broderick has spent 42 years working in one of the busiest offshore practices in…

File image of Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Youghal Lifeboat Assists Three After 40ft Yacht Gets Tangled on Mooring

19th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Youghal RNLI in East Cork launched to the aid of three people on Monday afternoon (19 June) after a 40ft yacht fouled its mooring in Youghal Harbour. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 3.45pm following…

Glenn Bradley is pulled from the water by the lifeboat volunteers with Donaghadee RNLI on Father’s Day 2022

NI Grandfather Says: ‘I’m Here to Celebrate Father’s Day This Year Because the RNLI Saved My Life’

18th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A kayaker is thanking the RNLI for saving his life after the charity’s local volunteer lifeboat crew pulled him from the waves on Father’s Day last year. Grandad Glenn Bradley was enjoying the good weather and calm conditions in Cloughey…

The Aran Islands RNLI All-weather Severn Lifeboat

Aran Islands RNLI Lifeboat Respond to Two Medical Evacuations in a Day

15th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Volunteer lifeboat crew of the Aran Islands RNLI was requested to launch their All-weather Severn Lifeboat at 1.58am on Wednesday June 14 to attend to a woman with an injured ankle in need of further medical attention on Inis…

The Dunmore East RNLI Shannon class all-weather lifeboat

Dunmore East RNLI Rescue Two People From Vessel on Fire

14th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat was called out on Tuesday (13 June) to assist a vessel in distress approximately four miles southeast of Hook Head. The vessel, with two people aboard, had caught fire and called the Irish Coast Guard…

The solo pilot was taken into the care of the Coastguard teams and lifeboats from RNLI Porthcawl Lifeboat Station

Welsh RNLI Crews Assist as Light Aircraft Ditches into Sea (Video)

13th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Volunteer crews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) were on hand to assist after a light aircraft ditched off the South Wales Coast. The solo pilot was taken into care of the Coastguard teams as lifeboats from RNLI Porthcawl…

Courtown RNLI’s inshore lifeboat with the speedboat under tow on Sunday afternoon 11 June

Courtown Lifeboat Rescues Three After Speedboat Takes on Water

12th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtown RNLI in Co Wexford rescued three people on Sunday afternoon (11 June) after their speedboat started taking on water off Courtown Beach. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at around 3.40pm and it was launched…

File image of Portrush RNLI's all-weather lifeboat

Portrush Lifeboat Rescues Three After Motor Boat Breaks Down Near Ballycastle

11th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Portrush RNLI was requested to launch its all-weather lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard at 1.26am on Sunday morning (11 June) following reports of a small motor cruiser with three people onboard that had broken down around a mile off Ballycastle. The…

Tramore RNLI’s inshore lifeboat and crew

Tramore Lifeboat Assists in Rescue of Two Swimmers in Difficulty

10th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Tramore RNLI were involved in the rescue of two swimmers who got into difficulty off Tramore Beach on Friday evening (9 June). The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at the request of the Irish Coast Guard…

Portrush Lifeboat Rescues Climber Cut Off by Tide at Benbane Head

10th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Portrush RNLI was requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard at 8.13pm on Friday evening (9 June) to reports of a person cut off by the tide while climbing around the base of Benbane Head. The all-weather lifeboat and crew under…

RNLB Ger Tigchlearr escorts the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Racing yacht into Arklow

Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Racer Loses Rudder But Rigs Emergency Steering & Makes Arklow Under Own Power, Lifeboat Stands By

9th June 2023 Dun Laoghaire Dingle

Following a pager alert at 5.37 pm on Wednesday, 7 June, the volunteer lifeboat crew made their way to the station and, within minutes of the request, were aboard RNLB Ger Tigchlearr and en route to the reported location some…

The all-weather Trent class lifeboat Ger Tigchlear returns to port with the stricken sailboat under tow

Arklow Lifeboat Launches to Vessel With Lone Sailor in Difficulty

8th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer lifeboat crew with Arklow RNLI launched in the early hours of Thursday morning (8 June) to reports of a vessel in difficulty some 10 miles south-east of the Co Wicklow town. In a northeasterly wind with a 1.2-metre…

Two of the lifeboat crew were tasked by the Coast Guard with swimming ashore to clear the area, which allowed the Waterford-based Rescue 117 helicopter to land safely on the beach

Helvick Head RNLI Called to Assist Two Swimmers in Difficulty off Clonea Beach

8th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Helvick Head RNLI was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat yesterday afternoon (Wednesday, 7 June) following a report that two swimmers were in difficulty off Clonea beach. With moderate seas and Force 4-5 east/north easterly winds, the volunteer crew launched…

The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Ruth and David Arthur

Wicklow RNLI Bring Three Fishermen to Safety

7th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI brought three fishermen to safety on Wednesday Morning (7th June) after their vessel developed mechanical problems twelve miles northeast of Wicklow Harbour. The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Ruth and David Arthur slipped its mooring at 10.45 am to reports…

Baltimore RNLI Lifeboat Respond to a Mayday Call from Yacht off West Cork Coast

6th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI responded to a mayday call earlier this afternoon. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 2.55pm this afternoon after the Irish Coast Guard picked up a mayday call from a yacht with five people on board…

File image of Aran Islands RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat

Aran Islands Lifeboat Launches to Two Bank Holiday Medevac Requests

6th June 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Just two days after their back-to-back medevac shouts, the volunteer crew at Aran Islands RNLI were tasked on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon (5 June) to launch their all-weather Severn class lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard as a person was…

Start
Prev
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Next
End

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