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RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland
Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat returns to harbour with the casualty yacht under an alongside tow
Dunmore East RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was called out on Saturday evening (27 July) to assist a vessel in distress some three nautical miles south-east of Hook Head. The 11-metre yacht, with two people aboard, had lost all power and called…
File image of Bundoran RNLI’s inshore lifeboat William Henry Liddington
Bundoran RNLI was tasked on Sunday afternoon (28 July) with rescuing two female paddle boarders drifting out to sea at Bunlin Bar, just past the Carrickfad rocks in Donegal Bay. After receiving the call just before 4.30pm, the inshore lifeboat…
The Galway Bay RNLI lifeboat crew escorted the yacht back to Renville Harbour
Galway RNLI assisted a lone sailor who was having difficulty returning to shore after the yacht’s mast broke. Following a call from the Irish Coast Guard on Saturday morning ( 27 July), the volunteer crew made up of Helm Dave…
Bangor RNLI’s new inshore lifeboat Ruby Robinson
Bangor RNLI in Northern Ireland launched to the aid of two people last week in two separate incidents on a single day. At 10.46am on Tuesday (23 July), the volunteer crew launched their new Atlantic 85 class lifeboat Ruby Robinson…
Aran Islands RNLI
The Aran Islands RNLI successfully carried out a medical evacuation off Inis Mór yesterday morning. The volunteer crew responded to a request from the Coast Guard to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 10.04 am under the command of Coxswain Aonghus…
Rescue Heli 117 landed on the beach and took the casualty directly to Waterford Regional Hospital for further treatment
Tramore RNLI assisted in a multi-agency rescue on Tramore Beach in County Waterford on Saturday (20 July) after a person sustained a hip fracture. Pagers alerting the volunteer lifeboat crew were activated at 12.45pm requesting the launch of the inshore…
Aran Islands RNLI all-weather lifeboat
Aran Islands RNLI carried out a medical evacuation off Inis Mór on Monday morning (22 July). The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 9:26 a.m., under Coxswain Aonghus Ó HIarnáin, following the Coast Guard's request that…
Newcastle RNLI D class lifeboat tows the catamaran in challenging conditions
Newcastle RNLI came to the aid of two sailors on Friday afternoon (19 July) after their catamaran got into difficulty in Newcastle Bay. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard at 4.21 pm and…
As a qualified Shannon class lifeboat afloat mechanic, Susan Hannon (Grogan) becomes the first female mechanic in the history of Dunmore East RNLI’s volunteers
Dunmore East RNLI offered a massive congratulations to volunteer crew member Susan Hannon (Grogan) for qualifying as a Shannon class lifeboat afloat mechanic this week. Joining the crew just 12 months ago, Susan’s rapid rise from a new recruit to…
Skerries RNLI’s inshore lifeboat alongside the trawler to take its poorly crew member on board
Skerries RNLI volunteers were tasked by Dublin Coast Guard shortly after 9pm on Thursday evening (18 July) to a man on board a trawler who had fallen ill and required assistance. The volunteers in Skerries RNLI were just completing a…
The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat crew safely transferred the patient to Rossaveal and into the care of a waiting ambulance crew
The Aran Islands RNLI carried out a medical evacuation off Inis Mór yesterday evening (Thursday, 18 July). The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 6:40 p.m. following a request from the Coast Guard to transfer a…
Mary Rose Deasy receives her Excellence in Volunteering award from Union Hall RNLI’s lifeboat operations manager John Kelleher
A Union Hall RNLI volunteer has received an Excellence in Volunteering recognition from the charity. The RNLI presents Excellence in Volunteering Awards to recognise volunteers who deserve special recognition for making a difference to their team or community. Mary Rose…
File image of Fenit RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat
Fenit RNLI has a double cause for celebration this weekend as it marks the 30th anniversary of the return of the service to a new base in Fenit Harbour after an absence of 25 years, as this year the lifesaving…
File image of Larne RNLI’s D class inshore lifeboat at sea
Larne RNLI came to the aid of a man who was drifting out to sea on an inflatable dinghy on Monday afternoon (15 July). The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore D class lifeboat at 1.15pm at the…
Aran Islands RNLI crew Thomas Davis, Daniel O’Connell, Tommy Dirrane and Máirtín de Bhailis pictured with open sea swimmer Fergal and Mags Somerville. Front row are Mark Rush and Gordon Adair
In a remarkable feat of endurance and fundraising, Dublin man Fergal Somerville successfully completed a 35km open water swim around Inis Mór, raising €8,500 for the Aran Islands RNLI. Somerville, a Guinness World record-breaking swimmer, took on this challenge, which…
Clifden RNLI allweather lifeboat launched under Coxswain Alan Pryce
Clifden RNLI came to the aid of two sailors yesterday afternoon (Monday 15 July) after their 26ft yacht got into difficulty with a fouled propellor while on passage from Roundstone earlier that morning. The volunteer crew were requested to launch…

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