RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

The lone sailor on the 11-metre yacht was on passage from Dublin to Kerry

Wicklow RNLI Assists Lone Sailor

14th April 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI all-weather lifeboat RNLB Joanna and Henry Williams was called out to assist a lone sailor on Thursday afternoon (13 April) after his vessel suffered steering failure. The lifeboat slipped its moorings from the south quay at 2:50 pm…

Flossy the dog, who survived a 130ft cliff fall on Anglesey, North Wales

RNLI Saved 164 Dogs in 2022 as Charity Reveals Latest Animal Rescue Figures

12th April 2023 Rescue

The RNLI has revealed an increase in the number of our furry friends it plucked from the seas in 2022. Man’s best friend made up the majority of the 209 creature callouts last year with the charity recording 164 dog…

File image of Porthcawl RNLI’s inshore lifeboat launching into rough conditions

RNLI Urges Public to Stay Safe Ahead of Weather Warnings

11th April 2023 Weather

The RNLI is reminding those visiting the coast to be aware of the dangers with weather warnings in place for large parts of Ireland and the UK. The Met Office and Met Éireann are forecasting winds could reach 100kmh or…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier goes to the aid of a kayaker in difficulty on Easter Bank Holiday Monday

Back-to-Back Callouts for Lough Derg Lifeboat to Boat Adrift and Kayaker in Difficulty

10th April 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

In two back-to-back callouts on Easter Bank Holiday Monday (10 April), Lough Derg RNLI launched to search for a possible missing person and to assist a kayaker in difficulty in the water. At 10.28am, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg…

Courtown RNLI Rescues Dog after it Becomes Stuck on Rocks at Ardamine Church

6th April 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtown RNLI rescued a dog this afternoon after it got separated from its owner and got stuck on rocks below Ardamine Church. The volunteer crew were requested by the Irish Coast Guard to launch their inshore lifeboat at approximately 2…

Easter Weekend Prompts Joint Water Safety Appeal from the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland

6th April 2023 Water Safety

This Easter bank holiday weekend, the Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal asking people to take some basic precautions to stay safe when they visit the coast or participate in water activities,…

Skerries RNLI’s inshore lifeboat searching the waters between Skerries beach and Colt Island on Sunday evening 26 March

Skerries Lifeboat Responds to Reports of Person in Distress in the Water

28th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Skerries RNLI responded on Sunday evening (26 March) to reports that there was possibly a person in distress in the water off the south strand in Skerries. Dublin Coast Guard tasked the lifeboat volunteers in Skerries shortly before 8pm after…

Keep clear for the Defibrillator - on the RNLI’s rigorous Casualty Care training course

Wicklow RNLI Lifeboat Crew Undergo Intensive Casualty Care Training.

27th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Getting Wicklow RNLI lifeboat to a casualty and getting them home is the basis of what Lifeboat volunteers do, but when there is an ill or injured person to care for, what kind of training do RNLI have for that?…

Clifden RNLI’s Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launching from the station

Clifden Lifeboat Launches to Assist Three on Broken-Down Vessel

21st March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer crew at Clifden RNLI were called out on Sunday 19 March to assist a vessel suffering mechanical failure near the island of Inishturk in Co Galway. At noon the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat launched under the command of…

Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat and An Garda Siochana at the Weir Wall

Lough Ree RNLI Lifeboat Crew Rescue Two Fishermen from River Shannon

19th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Lough Ree RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew responded to a call for assistance to two fishermen in a lake boat who got into difficulties on the River Shannon in Athlone yesterday afternoon (Saturday 18 March). Responding to a request from the…

Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat approaches the grounded passenger boat on a shoal off Bonaveen Point on Saturday 18 March

Forty People Rescued After Passenger Vessel Runs Aground on Lough Derg

19th March 2023 Rescue

Forty people were rescued after a passenger vessel ran aground in Lough Derg on Saturday afternoon (18 March). Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was dispatched to the scene where the 40ft passenger vessel was aground on a rocky shoal off…

Arranmore Man Paddy Conaghan is Home From the Sea Again While Raising Funds for the RNLI

18th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Paddy Conaghan worked in tunnels in Thailand, Hong Kong, Denmark, the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and every place from Land’s End to John O’Groats. But he says his greatest achievement was driving and ducking 515 times at beaches clockwise…

The Courtmacsherry All Weather RNLI Lifeboat crew returning from the callout at the Courtmacsherry pontoon in West Cork. Crew includes Coxswain Mark Gannon, Mechanic Stuart Russell and crewmembers Ken Cashman, Kevin Young, Dean Hennessy and Austin McKenna

Courtmacsherry All Weather RNLI Lifeboat Aids 70ft Trawler off Old Head of Kinsale, West Cork

17th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Courtmacsherry All Weather RNLI Lifeboat “Frederick Storey Cockburn” was called out at 1.30 pm on Friday “St Patricks Day”, to aid a large 70 ft fishing vessel that sought assistance 50 miles off the Old Head of Kinsale in…

File image of Galway RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

Galway Lifeboat Called to Assist Swimmer on St Patrick’s Day

17th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Galway RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard at 9.35am on St Patrick’s Day (Friday 17 March) following a report of a swimmer in difficulty off Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill. The inshore lifeboat…

Kilmore Quay RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat as seen from overhead

Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland Issue Joint Appeal Ahead of St Patrick’s Weekend Festivities

16th March 2023 Water Safety

Ahead of St Patrick’s Day festivities around Ireland, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland have issued a joint water safety appeal, asking people to stay safe when in, near or on the water. The organisations are also…

Four members of Clifden RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew

Clifden Lifeboats Search North Connemara Coast After Emergency Beacon Activation

15th March 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Both Clifden lifeboats were launched on Monday morning (13 March) to conduct a search after an EPIRB distress signal was detected by Malin Head Coast Guard in the area around Letterfrack in Co Galway. An EPIRB, or emergency position indicating…

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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