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RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland
The RNLI inshore lifeboat Christine and Raymond Fielding at Union Hall in West Cork
This morning at 09:31 am on Wednesday, August 7th, the Union Hall RNLI received a distress call to assist a 28-foot yacht that had lost power between Goat’s Head and Adam Island near the entrance of Glandore Harbour in West…
File image of Donaghadee RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Macquarie
The volunteer lifeboat crew from Donaghadee RNLI were paged by HM Coastguard at 7.11am on Tuesday morning (6 August) following a report of a man in a small boat in the vicinity of the Copeland Islands who was unsure of…
Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat approaches the nine-metre vessel run aground on Upper Lough Erne
Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Douglas Euan & Kay Richards diverted from a training exercise on Saturday afternoon (3 August) to assess a nine-metre vessel with three people on board which reportedly ran grounded some two miles north-west of the Share…
Howth RNLI’s inshore lifeboat reaches two people on board an inflatable kayak that was being blown out to sea
As Howth RNLI’s volunteers gathered to mark a special moment to celebrate 200 years of the RNLI last Thursday (1 August), pagers sounded with a report of an inflatable kayak with two people aboard that was being blown offshore from…
Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat makes best speed to the 20ft cruiser adrift near the Corrakeen Islands on Sunday afternoon 4 August
Lough Derg RNLI was requested to launch on Sunday afternoon (4 August) to assist a lone skipper on a 20ft cruiser that had suffered engine failure in rough weather. The vessel was reported to be on the west shore of…
Valentia Coastguard Maritime Coordination Rescue Centre requested assistance for a rib, with thirteen persons aboard, that had experienced mechanical breakdown
Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat in West Cork was hosting its Open Day for the public beginning at 2.30 pm yesterday afternoon when the pagers went off at 2.25 pm! The lifeboat immediately launched to go to the assistance of a boat…
The RNLI lifeboat brings the motorboat back to Courtmacsherry Harbour pontoon
The Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat crew was called into action on Saturday at 3:50 p.m. to assist a 20-foot speedboat with three people on board that had got into difficulty off the Seven Heads coastline in West Cork. The All-Weather Shannon…
Wexford RNLI gather for the One Moment One Crew photo event on 1/8/24
Earlier this week, RNLI representatives around Ireland and the UK participated in a special photo moment — One Moment for One Crew — to create a photographic record of those involved with the lifesaving charity in this, its 200th anniversary…
File image of Newcastle RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
Newcastle RNLI’s volunteer crew launched the inshore lifeboat on Wednesday evening (31 July) after the coastguard received a call about a dog in distress in the water close to Murlough beach on Northern Ireland’s Co Down coast. The lifeboat was launched…
Paddle board safety volunteers at the Pickie to Pier swim
With the August Bank Holiday weekend upon us and as members of the public continue to enjoy Ireland’s waters and coastal walks, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland are appealing for people to take care when they…
The sail training vessel being escorted back to Dunmore East
Aligning with a spell of good weather, it was a busy 24 hours for the volunteer lifeboat crew in Dunmore East earlier this week. The first, on Wednesday 31 July, was to assist a 10-metre sailing vessel with two people…
Lifeboat volunteers with the special RNLI scroll that is to be carried around Ireland to reinforce the pledge of the institution's founder
A special RNLI scroll is to be carried around Ireland to reinforce the institution's founder's pledge to "try and save everyone the lifeboat service can, without judgment." That was the vision of Sir William Hillary when he founded the RNLI in 1824. Printed on…
File image of Newcastle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat
Newcastle RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat, the Leonard Kent, was launched to assist three people onboard a 28ft yacht which had suffered engine failure some 13 nautical miles east of Ardglass on Sunday (28 July). At around 8.35pm on Sunday evening, the…
File image of Fethard RNLI’s D-class inshore lifeboat
The volunteer lifeboat crew at Fethard RNLI were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 4.25pm on Friday evening (26 July) following a report that a woman was drifting on a paddle board in the direction of Bannow Bay. Friends…
Howth RNLI All-Weather lifeboat
The volunteer lifeboat crew of Howth RNLI launched their All-Weather lifeboat on Saturday 27th, and twice on Sunday 28th of July to assist sailors in difficulty. In all three incidents, each yacht had suffered engine failure east of Howth and…
Kinsale RNLI inshore lifeboat
Kinsale RNLI rescued a kayaker on Saturday afternoon stuck on the rocks off the eastern side of the outer harbour, known as Hangman’s Point, between the popular tourist spots of Kinsale and Oysterhaven. The Irish Coast Guard requested that the…

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.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

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

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.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

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

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

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.

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.

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.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

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

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

© Afloat 2020