RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Poster for RNLI Coffee Morning in Fethard-on-Sea

“12 Swims of Christmas” Bathers Holding Coffee Morning in Fethard in Aid of RNLI

10th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Fethard RNLI’s friends in the Baginbun-based sea swim group Hooked on Swimming are doing the 12 Swims of Christmas in aid of the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, as previously reported on Afloat.ie. This Sunday 11 December…

SCUBA divers dressed in Santa suits congregate in the water in a harbour as a rigid inflatable lifeboat passes behind

Santa SCUBA Dive for RNLI Returns at Bulloch Harbour This Sunday

9th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

This Sunday 11 December, SCUBA divers dressed in Santa suits will once again dive into the sea water at Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey to raise money for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. The annual diving event…

A file photo of Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat in West Cork

Castletownbere RNLI Lifeboat Assists Fishing Vessel in Difficulty

5th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched today (Monday 5th December 2022) at 12:45 to go to the immediate assistance of a fishing trawler, drifting without power, between Dinish Island and Bere Island in West Cork. A thirty-metre fishing vessel raised the…

File image of Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Joanna and Henry Williams

Busy Start to Weekend With Two Friday Callouts for Wicklow Lifeboat Volunteers

5th December 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat assisted fishing vessels during two separate callouts on Friday (2 December). The first came at 8:15am following a pager alert, with the all-weather lifeboat Joanna and Henry Williams slipping its moorings at the South Quay and…

Dun Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat delivers a hamper to share some Christmas cheer with Kish lighthouse keepers in 1992

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI’s First “Jingle Mingle” Raises €2,500

29th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI hosted their first annual "Jingle Mingle" in their RNLI shop on Saturday, 26 November and brought in €2,500 for the charity. While raising vital funds, this event brought together and celebrated all the volunteers at Dun…

Portrush CE Commendation: Portrush RNLI Coxswain Des Austin holds the RNLI’s Chief Executive Commendation with the lifeboat crew from the station

Three RNLI Lifeboat Crews Receive Award for Rescue of Fishing Vessel Crew off Fanad Head

28th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Lifeboat crews from Lough Swilly and Arranmore in County Donegal, along with Portrush in county Antrim, have received an award from the RNLI for a callout in 2019 as Afloat reported at the time, which saw the rescuers at sea…

Fethard sea swimming group 'Hooked on Swimming', has begun its '12 swims of Christmas'. Until their final swim on New Year's Day, the swimmers will brave the elements and swim 12 times for the RNLI. The 12 Swims group began last year and has grown from strength to strength, now comprising 140 swimmers

Fethard RNLI Launches Christmas Fundraising Activities to Help Save Lives at Sea

24th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Fethard RNLI’s fundraising branch has begun to distribute RNLI Christmas cards to local shops and businesses, while local swimming group Hooked on Swimming have begun their 12 swims of Christmas fundraiser which will see proceeds raised to power the lifesaving…

Exterior of Enniskillen RNLI’s new state-of-the-art inland lifeboat station at dusk

Enniskillen RNLI’s New Lifeboat Station Now Complete and Operational on Lough Erne

23rd November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI’s new inland lifeboat station on Lower Lough Erne is complete and fully operational. The station team at Enniskillen RNLI are now looking for new volunteers to join the crew in several roles including lifeboat crew, shore crew, deputy…

Paul Kelly and Kevin Ganly of Lough Ree RNLI welcome Eliza Crosbie to the lifeboat station

Lough Ree RNLI Opens Christmas Shop at Coosan Point This Weekend

21st November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

As the festive season draws near, the volunteers at Lough Ree RNLI are throwing open the doors of the lifeboat station at Coosan Point for a special Christmas sale next Saturday afternoon (26 November). RNLI Christmas cards are central to…

Launching the Castlewellan festive 10K, 5K and one-mile fun run to raise funds for Newcastle RNLI

Newcastle RNLI Launches Festive Castlewellan 10K, 5K and One-Mile Fun Run to Raise Funds for Lifeboat

19th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Newcastle RNLI has launched a festive 10K, 5K and one-mile fun run to help save lives at sea. Appealing to the seasoned athlete as well as families and fun runners wanting to get some exercise while getting into the Christmas…

Donaghadee RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Saxon

Donaghadee Lifeboat Rescues Lone Sailor After 27ft Yacht Breaks Down

18th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Donaghadee RNLI rescued a lone sailor on Friday afternoon (18 November) after his 27ft yacht broke down off the Copeland Islands north of Northern Ireland’s Ards Peninsula. The volunteer crew were requested by Belfast Coastguard to launch their all-weather lifeboat…

Newcastle RNLI launch their inshore lifeboat

Newcastle RNLI Aids Lone Sailor Aground on Dundrum Bay

10th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Newcastle RNLI came to the aid of a lone sailor early this morning after his 20ft boat got into difficulty and ran aground at the entrance to Dundrum inner bay. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat…

Pilots Paul Clifford & Duncan Laisney are rescued by the RNLI from their liferaft. They were found safe and well relatively quickly in a life raft by the St Helier inshore lifeboat. They were then transferred to the all-weather lifeboat and transported back to St Helier, where they were met by Paramedics

RNLI Save Two Pilots in Distress Off the Coast of Jersey

9th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Footage from the RNLI shows the volunteer lifeboat crew battling through 2-3metre swells, rain and winds of up to 35mph before reaching the two men who had managed to escape the sinking plane and climb inside a liferaft, fitted with…

Courtmacsherry RNLI’s inshore boathouse lifeboat

Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Rescues Two Dogs Stranded by Rapidly Rising Tide

8th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

On Monday afternoon (7 November), as Courtmacsherry RNLI paid tribute to Mary O'Mahony, wife of former crew member Richard and sister-in-law of former coxswain Diarmuid, the station crew and officers taking part in the guard of honour outside the station…

Portaferry RNLI’s inshore Atlantic 85 class lifeboat

Portaferry RNLI Aids Two Kayakers in Difficulty on Strangford Lough

8th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

Portaferry RNLI came to the aid of kayakers who got into difficulty near Kilard Point late yesterday afternoon (Monday, 7 November). Portaferry RNLI’s volunteer crew launched their inshore Atlantic 85 class lifeboat promptly at 2.20 pm and made their way…

Chris Gallagher after completing the 2022 Dublin Marathon in his bare feet

Omagh Man Rescued From Rip Current Runs Dublin Marathon in Bare Feet to Support RNLI

4th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats

An Omagh man who was rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after he was caught in a rip current off a Donegal beach in July has completed the Dublin Marathon in his bare feet to raise awareness of water safety…

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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