RNLI – A special Ecumenical Service will be held at Knock Shrine in county Mayo next weekend to mark the 190th anniversary of the RNLI

The service which will take place in the Basilica at 12 noon on Saturday 9 August will celebrate the charity's work in saving lives at sea while commemorating those who gave their lives in the service of others.

The celebration will be led by Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry. He will be assisted by Father Richard Gibbons, PP Rector Knock Shrine.

The RNLI was founded in 1824 by Sir William Hillary who after being involved in several rescue attempts and seeing dozens of ships get destroyed at sea from his home in the Isle of Man, came to recognise the need for a unified rescuing service. He founded the then National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck which was later renamed the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1854.

Since then the charity which provides a 24-hour search and rescue service has saved over 140,000 lives across the coast of Ireland and the UK.

Last year, RNLI lifeboats in Ireland launched 1,087 times with its volunteer crews rescuing 1,278 people and saving 45 lives. Those figures show an average of 21 launches and 25 people being rescued a week in 2013. Some 25% of those lifeboat launches were in darkness.

There are currently 44 lifeboat stations in Ireland and 57 operational lifeboats at Irish stations.

Speaking ahead of the Ecumenical Service at Knock, Anthony Hiney, RNLI Community Fundraising Manager said: 'This is a special and fitting way to mark the 190th anniversary of the RNLI. The ecumenical service will celebrate the work of all our selfless, dependable and courageous volunteers who do so much to save lives at sea while also allowing us to remember and honour all those who have gave their lives in the service of the RNLI.

#lifeboat – The Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat has now completed its rescue of the Stricken 66 Ft Belgium Yacht "Tom" that sought help at 3.20pm this afternoon 23 miles south east of Courtmacsherry Bay. The Lifeboat took the casualty in tow at 4.20pm and has now berthed the large Schooner at the Courtmacsherry Pier. The Yacht was on passage from Newlin in Cornwall to Ireland when it's engines failed.

All 5 crew on the yacht were relieved to be on land in Courtmacsherry tonight. Lifeboat Operations Manager Brian O Dwyer was high in praise of the quick response of Acting Coxswain Kevin Young and his crew of Six in the very smooth rescue of this large vessel today.

Crew on today's Callout were Coxswain Kevin Young, Mechanic Stewart Russell and crew Micheal Hurley, Ciaran Hurley, Mark John Gannon, Dave Philips and Dean Hennessey.

#RNLI - A busy weekend for the volunteer crew with Lough Ree RNLI began on Friday evening 25 July when the lifeboat launched at 6.30pm for a cruiser with engine problems near marker no 9 north of the Quaker Island.

When the lifeboat arrived on scene it found the 34-foot cruiser was at anchor. There were two adults on board and the engine had overheated.

The casualty vessel was towed to Ballyleague and the lifeboat was back on station and ready for service at 8.40pm.

Lough Ree's lifeboat next launched at 7.22am on Saturday morning for a cruiser aground near the Black Islands.

On arriving on scene the lifeboat crew found two adults and four children on board. They were taken on board the lifeboat and dropped off at Quigley's Marina, while a rescue boat later arrived on scene to take care of the cruiser.

The lifeboat crew had just left the station when another call out was received at 9.52am for a cruiser aground off Inch McDermott.

There were six people on board the cruiser, which was eased off the rocks by the lifeboat. The cruiser was then able to proceed under her own power.

At 6.55pm the same day, a callout was received for a large cruiser aground on the Hexagon Shoal with three adults and three children on board.

One female adult and the three children were transferred to the Lough Ree Yacht Club safety RIB, which had been standing by the casualty, and taken to Hudson Bay.

The cruiser was found to be taking water and the lifeboat returned to base to get pumping equipment. The casualty was pumped and towed to Quigley's Marina. The lifeboat was back on station and on standby at 8.50pm.

Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat operations manager Damien Delaney said of the busy weekend: "The recent spell of good weather has brought large numbers of people to the water, many for the first time in years, and this, coupled with the low levels in the river and lake, makes extra attention to the markers and navigation channels necessary."

All this activity comes in advance of the news that the current lifeboat on station at Lough Ree, Dorothy Mary B728, which has been in service since the station began operations over two years ago, is to be replaced.

Dorothy Mary was commissioned in 1996 and has now reached her retirement age. She will be leaving the station this coming week.

Her replacement is to be the Eric Rowse B772, which was commissioned in 2000. She previously served at the St Catherine station in Jersey from 2001 to 2010, when she joined the reserve fleet.

She is the same class of lifeboat as Dorothy Mary, an Atlantic 75, and is due to arrive in the coming days.

#rnli – Dunmore East volunteer RNLI lifeboat crewmember, Roy Abrahamsson, married Tramore native, Caroline Kiely, in Dunmore East this weekend and Roy's lifeboat colleagues turned up in full life-saving kit to wish the couple every happiness in their married life. It was an emotional day, as Roy is from a hugely respected lifeboating family in Dunmore East, and he recently lost his father, Walter.

Roy has been with the lifeboat crew at Dunmore East RNLI for the last 15 years and is a Deputy Coxswain and Second Mechanic. His father, Walter Abrahamsson, spent 13 years as a coxswain and mechanic with the lifeboat station, after being asked to join in 1984 when he jumped into the harbour in Dunmore East to save a life.

Walter sadly passed away on 13 July this year and his ashes were scattered at sea. Lifeboat crew from across the institution paid tribute to him as he had visited many stations during his time with the charity, helping them when they needed a duty coxswain or mechanic, a tradition that his son Roy is continuing.

Caroline and Roy met nine years ago on a night out in Tramore. Caroline is an account manager for Core HR in Kilkenny and Roy proposed to her on top of a mountain while on holiday in the Italian Alps.

Although Walter was sadly missed by everyone on the day, his presence was keenly felt by his family and friends and of course his and Roy's lifeboat colleagues.

Best man and Dunmore East RNLI crewmember Neville Murphy commented; 'It was a special day and one of very strong emotions. Walter was a legend here in Dunmore East and in lifeboat circles and we really wanted to honour that while wishing Roy and Caroline the best in their married life together. Six lifeboat crew travelled from the station to Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny and wore their lifeboat kit to give Roy and Caroline a surprise guard of honour when they left the church. It was like Walter was looking down on us and giving his blessing.'

The lifeboats continued to play a part in the weekend when Dunmore East RNLI received a call to launch to a person in difficulty in the water on Saturday night and Roy made the lifeboat callout before he heads off on honeymoon in a few days. The person made it safely to shore with the help of bystanders.

#RNLI - Summer certainly hit Ireland's North Coast with a bang this week as temperatures topped 27 degrees, and the volunteer crew of Portrush RNLI experienced one of their busiest weeks.

On Monday 21 July, the all-weather lifeboat William Gordon Burr was launched to a motor cruiser at Lough Foyle that had run foul of a chain of lobster pots.

The crew deployed the Y boat off the lifeboat to try to free the ropes from the propeller. The mission was successfully accomplished and the cruiser sailed off to Greencastle to get checked out.

Next out was the inshore lifeboat David Roulston (Civil Service No 52), which had two callouts on Wednesday 23 July, the first around 11am to a small boat who got into difficulty at Dunluce Castle.

Luckily for the boat, a local fisherman arrived on scene at the same time as the lifeboat and towed the boat to Portballintrae.

The next callout was at 9pm, and again another local boat assisted with the small boat who had got into difficulty.

On Thursday morning at 5am, the crew of the all-weather lifeboat were paged once again. This time it was a callout to Ballycastle to assist with the search of a young person who was reported missing.

The coastguard helicopter was deployed and they soon located the young female who was successfully airlifted to hospital.

"So far this has been one of our busiest seasons as we have experienced an unprecedented good summer so our volunteer crew have been kept working," said Judy Nelson, volunteer lifeboat press officer for Portrush RNLI.

"We love to see people coming to Portrush to take advantage of everything the North Coast has to offer, but would ask people to exercise caution when on the beach.

"The RNLI Lifeguards are on patrol on all the beaches and are delighted to offer advice to visitors about safe bathing. The RNLI website will also give all the advice you need, whether it is about swimming, kayaking, surfing or boating."

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI's lifeboat launched last night (Saturday 26 July) to assist two people on board a cruiser aground at Drominagh, at the northern end of Lough Derg.

Valentia Coast Guard requested the launch at 9.45pm and the lifeboat left station at 9.55pm with helm Peter Clarke, Ger Egan and David Moore on board.

Winds were south westerly, Force 2 to 3, and visibility was good but with nightfall approaching.

When the lifeboat arrived on scene, it found the two people on the cruiser to be safe and unharmed, and wearing their lifejackets. An RNLI volunteer checked the boat for damage and, when he was satisfied it was not holed, he set up a tow.

The lifeboat took the cruiser off the rocks and out to safe water, where the engine, props and steering were found to be in working order.

The cruiser, under her own steam, and with an RNLI crew member still on board, made way to Terryglass Harbour. The lifeboat remained alongside and helped to secure the boat in Terryglass.

Clarke praised the crew of the boat for remaining calm and calling for assistance as soon as they recognised they had a problem.

He also advised "all boat users to study their charts before setting out, and to stay within the navigation buoys on the lake."

#rnli – Lifeboat crew at Ballycotton RNLI launched this afternoon (Saturday 26 July 2014) after the alarm was raised by a local ferry that a yacht with two people onboard had capsized 300 metres from Ballycotton Lighthouse off the Cork coast.

The lifeboat was launched at 4.18pm this afternoon and proceeded the short distance to the scene. On arrival the lifeboat crew saw two men sitting on the upturned hull of a small yacht that had capsized. They were both out of the water and not in immediate danger.

The Ballycotton RNLI all weather lifeboat came alongside the two men and recovered them aboard the lifeboat. Their capsized yacht was towed back to Ballycotton by the lifeboat. Conditions at the time were force 2 with a strong north westerly breeze.

Commenting on the callout Ballycotton RNLI Coxswain Eolan Walsh said; 'Thanks to the vigilance of the Yassy, a local passenger ferry, the alarm was raised quickly. With a capsize things can change from bad to worse depending on weather and the condition of the casualties. Thankfully both men were fine after the incident and did not need any medical assistance.'

#rnli – Both Wicklow RNLI lifeboats launched at 1.40pm (Saturday 26 July) this afternoon after a small boat with four occupants sank eight miles north east of Wicklow harbour.

The 17ft motor boat with two adults and two young children began to take water when the skipper managed to radio a distress call before the boat sank. The family spent a short time in the water before a nearby fishing vessel picked them up. The trawler was asked to proceed back towards Wicklow to meet the lifeboat.

The inshore lifeboat was alongside the fishing vessel twenty minutes after launching. Two lifeboat crew were put on board the fishing vessel to access the casualties, who were then transferred to the all weather lifeboat, as they were showing signs of hypothermia and shock. An ambulance was requested to meet the lifeboat on arrival.

The lifeboat landed two adults and two young children at the South Quay after 2-30pm, where they were met by an ambulance crew. They were checked out and later released unharmed by their ordeal.

Speaking after the callout LOM Des Davitt said 'The boat sank very quickly and the four people were adrift in the water. If it was not for the swift action by the crew of the fishing vessel, this might have had a more serious outcome.'

#RNLI - Both Wicklow RNLI lifeboats launched after 4.15pm yesterday afternoon (Thursday 24 July) to assist a vessel aground near Travelahawk beach south of Wicklow Harbour.

The alarm was raised after the owner of a motor boat put out a distress call on marine VHF radio to say his vessel was aground on rocks and they required assistance.

The inshore and all-weather lifeboats were on scene minutes later and found there were two boats aground.

A lifeboat crew member was transferred onto the boats from the inshore lifeboat to assist with rigging tow lines. The inshore lifeboat then towed a small hire boat with three occupants off the rocks and brought them to safety at Wicklow Harbour.

The larger motor boat was successfully refloated by the all-weather lifeboat crew and towed into Wicklow Harbour, where its two passengers were landed safely at the East Pier.

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's inshore lifeboat launched at 3pm on Wednesday afternoon (23 July) to rescue a sheep trapped in a cave and in danger of drowning as the tide rose.

Two attempts had already been made to recover the sheep by its farmer, but he was unable to get down the rocks safely, so the lifeboat crew were asked if they could help.

The inshore lifeboat was on scene at 3.35pm at Mizen Head, south of Brittas Bay beach, where the crew successfully retrieved the animal from the cave. 

The frightened but uninjured sheep was reunited with its owner a short time later on a nearby beach.

The lifeboat crew on this callout were helm Alan Gouche, Lisa O'Leary and Graham Fitzgerald.