Youghal’s RNLI volunteers were presented last week with a cheque for €3,439.60 from the organisers of the Ardmore Christmas Day swim.

The event was first organised in 1997 and has successfully run every Christmas Day since. The swim is always well supported by the local community and 2018’s was no exception.

The swimmers met on the beach at Ardmore at 12.15pm on Christmas Day in dry but chilly conditions and made the dash into the water for a quick dip before heading back to the beach for a hot drink.

Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat, Gordon and Phil, and her volunteer crew were there on the day to oversee the safety of the swimmers.

Lifeboat operations manager Derry Walsh said: “We would like to send our thanks to everyone who came out on Christmas Day and took part in the swim, and a special thank you to those who have organised the swim over the last 22 years.

“The RNLI depend on the generosity of the public to save lives at sea, and this donation will help to ensure our lifeboat and crew are always ready when they are called upon.”

Elsewhere, a callout for Larne RNLI to a suspected vessel in trouble on Friday evening (29 March) turned out to be false alarm as smoke seen rising from a vessel at the Maidens was part of a training exercise.

Paul Johnston, Larne RNLI deputy launching authority, said: “We would like to commend the member of the public for contacting the coastguard and raising the alarm. We would always much rather launch to find all is safe and well than not launch at all.”

The Portadown Pikers Angling Club laid wreaths at the Coosan Point Memorial last Saturday 23 March in memory of their fellow anglers David Warnock and Daryl Burke, who drowned in Lough Ree in a tragic incident five years ago.

The two men, and colleague John Trimble, were thrown into the water after their boat overturned near Hodson Bay on the afternoon of 20 March 2014.

In 2015 the Marine Casualty Investigation Board concluded that hidden flooding destabilised the anglers’ boat causing them to go overboard.

This past weekend the angling club party — which included Trimble, who survived the incident — were joined by a group from Lough Ree RNLI for the wreath-laying ceremony and some refreshments at the lifeboat station.

Pikers chairman Noel Quinn later made a generous donation to the Lough Ree lifeboat before the group departed to Lanesborough where they spent the weekend fishing.

Brian and Hayley Warnock also laid wreaths in memory of their son David.

Lifeboats from Clogherhead, Newcastle and Kilkeel were involved in the search for a woman missing in Carlingford Lough at the weekend, which came to a sad end yesterday afternoon (Monday 18 March) with the discovery of a body in the water off Greenore.

Newcastle RNLI was tasked to divert from a morning training exercise on the Co Down coast to join the major search operation which began on Sunday (17 March), concentrating on the entrance to Carlingford Lough and outlying islands.

During this search the all-weather lifeboat located a casualty in the water and, working with volunteer lifeboat crews from Clogherhead and Kilkeel RNLI, the casualty was taken ashore to Greenore Harbour by the Kilkeel lifeboat and placed in the care of An Garda Síochána.

The casualty was shortly after confirmed to be the remains of Ruth Maguire from Newcastle, who went missing during a hen party in Carlingford on Saturday night (16 March).

Speaking following the search, Newcastle RNLI coxswain Nathan Leneghan said: “On behalf of Newcastle RNLI I wish to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the woman who was recovered from the water this afternoon.

“The thoughts and prayers of the everyone involved in the search are with them at this sad time. I also wish to commend the volunteer crews for their commitment and professionalism.”

Kilkeel RNLI lifeboat operations manager John Fisher added: “This was not the outcome we or the family wanted and at this difficult time our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the casualty.

“At this time I would also like to thank the volunteer crew for their commitment and energy. We train for such an incident but always pray that it has a better outcome.”

#Lifeboats - Crosshaven RNLI launched to the aid of an injured fisherman off Graball Bay yesterday morning (Thursday 14 March).

The volunteer crew of the Crosshaven inshore lifeboat, John and Janet, were paged at 10.27am to assist a 10m fishing vessel with an injured crewman onboard.

With Aidan O’Connor in command and Norman Jackson, Georgia Keating and Molly Murphy onboard, the lifeboat met with the incoming casualty boat off Graball Bay some 12 minutes later.

Two of the lifeboat crew transferred to the fishing boat to administer casualty care to the injured man, who was in severe pain from a suspected broken arm and a head injury.

As it was deemed too dangerous due to the sea state, and too painful for the casualty, to be transferred back to the lifeboat, the fishing vessel continued to Crosshaven under escort before the injured man was handed into the care of paramedics for transfer to hospital.

Speaking following the callout, Crosshaven RNLI deputy launching authority Hugh Mokler said: “The volunteer crew responded quickly and made the casualty, who was in a great deal of pain as comfortable as possible until they were able to hand over to the ambulance service. Today, their casualty care training made a difference.”

Elsewhere, the body of a West Cork fisherman was recovered from the shoreline at Killybegs, shortly after he was reported missing yesterday afternoon.

As BreakingNews.ie reports, the man in his 50s had been working on a Cork-based boat that was docked in the Donegal fishery harbour.

Kinsale’s RNLI lifeboat volunteers have a very special guest joining them in the town’s St. Patrick’s Day parade this Sunday 17 March.

Paddy the horse, rescued by the RNLI crew in dramatic circumstances on Sunday 17 February, will lead the RNLI float in the parade.

Paddy’s hoof became wedged in the trestles of a submerged oyster bed when his owner, Paul Crowley, was washing him down in the Bandon River.

With the tide rising fast, the lifeboat crew was in a race against time.

Not wishing to further spook the distressed animal, the lifeboat remained at a safe distance while RNLI volunteers Jonathan Connor and Michael P Sullivan entered the water and successfully set Paddy free.

When they called to check on Paddy a few days later, they received a generous donation from the Crowley family and took the opportunity to offer Paddy a starring role in Kinsale’s St Patrick’s Day parade.

RNLI volunteer Jonathan Connor said: “We asked Paddy straight up did he want to do it — yay or nay? He didn’t neigh, so we took it as a yes!”

Paul will ride Paddy in the parade alongside his daughter Lauren on her pony Bailey.

Paul believes Paddy would have been lost had the lifeboat not been launched, and says the entire family wants to help promote the lifesaving work of the RNLI.

Kevin Gould, lifeboat operations manager at Kinsale RNLI, said: “We are honoured to have Paddy lead us in the parade and we thank the Crowley family for supporting the RNLI.

“Paddy’s rescue shows how quickly you can get into difficulty, even close to the shore. It reinforces the RNLI’s message to always respect the water.

“We want people to enjoy the water, but we also want you to recognise its dangers and never underestimate its power.”

Wicklow RNLI's inshore lifeboat was launched at 4:40pm yesterday afternoon (Friday 8 March) to search for a missing dog.

The alarm was raised by the anxious owner after her dog, named Otis, chased some seagulls down over the cliff edge at Wicklow Head and disappeared.

The lifeboat — with helm Graham Fitzgerald and crew Ian Thompson and John Stapleton — was on scene eight minutes after launching and the crew began a sweep of caves and the shoreline at a location known as the Pond, near Wicklow Head lighthouse.

During the search the dog could be heard barking from a cave, so crew member Stapleton was put ashore near the opening and, with some persuading, the dog was coaxed out to climb back up the cliff and into the arms of his grateful owner.

Elsewhere, a young man was recovered from the River Corrib by members of the emergency services in Galway in the early hours of Friday morning following a major rescue operation involving the Galway RNLI lifeboat.

The man has got into difficulty in a canal beside the river around 3.30am, and during the rescue both the casualty and rescue personnel ended up entering the fast-flowing Corrib towards the Spanish Arch, where the casualty was recovered for transfer to Galway University Hospital.

Mike Swan, Galway RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: “We would encourage all members of the public to respect the water at all times regardless of their activity.

“Be wary of all edges around the sea and watersides. Slips and falls happen in all locations.”

#Lifeboats - The RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat based in Rosslare Harbour was launched at 10.38pm on Saturday night (2 March) to assist a passenger onboard an Irish Ferries vessel bound for Pembroke in Wales.

The passenger ferry Oscar Wilde, which was located 20 miles off the Wexford coast at the time, asked for assistance in evacuating a passenger who had become ill.

Sea conditions were unfavourable for the volunteers on the Rosslare Harbour lifeboat to go alongside the ferry.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 from Waterford was also tasked and quickly arrived on scene. After attempts to airlift the casualty it was deemed too dangerous.

The Oscar Wilde returned to Rosslare Europort at 1am, where an ambulance was waiting to bring the casualty to hospital. The RNLI volunteers in their Severn class lifeboat stood by the passenger ferry for the duration.

Sea conditions were very poor at the time, with a strong Force 7 to 8 gale and heavy rain.

Coxswain Eamonn O’Rourke commented that the volunteer crew of the lifeboat had to endure very challenging conditions.

Speaking afterwards, Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat operations manager David Maloney said: “Conditions at sea tonight were challenging for our coxswain and lifeboat crew and I would like to commend them for their efforts in enduring a rough passage in the dark, and late at night on a Saturday evening, to be of assistance.”

#Lifeboats - Youghal RNLI’s first callout of 2019 came on Sunday (3 March) while out on a morning training exercise.

The lifeboat crew had been practising casualty recovery in the area of Youghal Harbour when at 11.33am they became aware of a small pleasure craft that had started to take on water.

There was no one on board the pleasure craft the time.

In heavy rain and squally conditions, the inshore lifeboat crew pumped the water from the vessel, then towed it safely back to the pier head in Youghal and handed it over to the awaiting coastguard. The lifeboat returned to the station at 12.07pm.

Youghal RNLI helm Patsy O’Mahoney said: “We went out this morning to practice our skills and ended up having to use them in a real situation.

“The water can be unpredictable at the best of times, but it is particularly dangerous during bad weather. We urge everyone to respect the water at all times.”

#Lifeboats - The volunteers with Bundoran’s RNLI lifeboat had a long night on Tuesday (26 February) when a routine training exercise turned into a five-hour rescue.

The Co Donegal lifeboat crew received the call for help at 8.30pm to a 30ft fishing vessel with three people onboard that had suffered engine failure seven miles off Innismurray.

Immediately diverting to the scene, the lifeboat crew — helm Brian Faulkner and crewmembers Mark Vaughan, Fergal Muller and Chris Fox — reached the vessel at 9.10pm and established a tow.

Conditions were ideal for the callout with a low swell and little wind. However, due to the size of the fishing vessel, the tow took a number of hours.

On reaching Mullaghmore, the volunteer lifeboat crew were replaced by their colleagues after spending the evening at sea in cold conditions. It was after 1.30am before the lifeboat crew reached home.

Commenting on the callout, Bundoran RNLI lifeboat operations manager Captain Tony McGowan said: “Our exercise night turned into a long callout for the crew and I want to thank them for their great work.

“Towing a vessel to safety can be a long and arduous job for a lifeboat crew but it’s an important one and we are happy to be able to assist.

“I also want to thank our volunteer lifeboat crew’s families who wait patiently at home and support the work of the RNLI.”

#Lifeboats - Skycam Ireland has released some breathtaking drone video from the arrival of the relief Shannon class lifeboat Jock and Annie Slater in Wicklow on Sunday afternoon (24 February) after travelling from RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

A large turnout of family, friends and supporters gathered as the Wicklow all-weather lifeboat Annie Blaker and the inshore lifeboat escorted the relief Shannon into the harbour, while a lone piper on the East Pier played a musical tribute to signal the arrival.

Staff Coxswain Pete Hanscombe accompanied the crew on the training passage, but Coxswain Nick Keogh had the honour of bringing the relief Shannon into Wicklow harbour. A short impressive display of the boats speed and agility was greeted with applause from the crowd, before it came alongside the pier.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the relief Shannon class will replace the last remaining Tyne class lifeboat in active service — and the busiest in the history of Wicklow RNLI — when it is retired in the next few months.

The relief Shannon lifeboat Jock and Annie Slater arriving at Wicklow on Sunday 24 February | Photo: RNLI/Wicklow