#Coastguard - Poor weather conditions forced the Irish Coast Guard to abort its search for a missing fisherman off the Clare coast yesterday evening (Monday 8 February).

As Breaking News reports, the missing individual is understood to have fallen overboard from a fishing trawler in the North Atlantic some 330km off Clare.

The Shannon-based coastguard SAR helicopter Rescue 115 was dispatched to the scene but was forced to return to base within half an hour due to the worsening conditions as Storm Imogen swept in.

The long-range mission came just days after the medevac of a crewman from a Russian vessel off Valentia last Friday (5 February), as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#Rescue - Lagan Search and Rescue's RIB is set to return to action this weekend after a crowdfunding campaign helped fund repairs, according to BelfastLive.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the rescue boat for the Belfast area was forced out of service after vandals pulled a hydraulic ram out of its steering system, causing damage that was "both labour intensive and costly".

But after a crowdfunding effort raised nearly £900 (€1,176) – including a single £500 (€653) contribution – the necessary repairs were made this week, with only stress tests remaining before the Atlantic 21 lifeboat can return to the water.

BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.

#Shannon - A local man is in critical condition after the boat he was in capsized on the River Shannon in Castleconnell outside Limerick city early this morning (Thursday 4 February), as RTÉ News reports.

The man was one of four who were in the water for more than two hours clinging to their upturned vessel as rescuers struggled to reach them due to a fallen tree in the river.

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

#Rescue - Lagan Search and Rescue's RIB has been forced out of service after its motor was vandalised, as BelfastLive reports.

Over the weekend team members found that a hydraulic ram had been pulled out of the steering system of the the Atlantic 21 lifeboat, which covers the Belfast area and was docked in a secure marina at the time.

What's more, with the vandals' additional damage to the boat, getting it ready to return to the water will be "both labour intensive and costly", according to a spokesperson for the rescue service.

BelfastLive has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - Crosshaven Coast Guard were joined by Waterford's SAR helicopter and the local RNLI in the rescue of a man trapped on rocks by the rising tide under a well-known seaside pub in Co Cork last night (Friday 15 January).

As BreakingNews.ie reports, the man himself raised the alarm before 8pm when he realised his predicament close to Bunnyconnellan's pub in Myrtleville.

Specialist heatseeking equipment on board the Irish Coast Guard's Rescue 117 was used to locate the man in the darkness, and its searchlight guided Crosshaven coastguard personnel in escorting him to safety.

It marked an unusual end to a busy week for the coastguard, after Valentia assisted the evacuation of 11 fishermen from a sinking Spanish trawler off La Coruna on Sunday evening (10 January). BreakingNews.ie has more HERE.

#AnimalRescue - Northern Ireland coastguard teams raced to the aid of a dog trapped on a cliff ledge in Co Down earlier this week.

As the Belfast Telegraph reports, eight coastguard volunteers fought their way across boggy ground to reach the terrier that had slipped down the cliff from the Ballyhornan Coastal Path.

But once on the scene, a winch was quickly set up to rescue the petrified pooch and return him to his owners.

A rescue of a different kind was celebrated in Co Wexford in recent days after a loggerhead turtle washed up in Kilmore Quay over the Christmas period.

According to the Wexford People, the turtle – of a species used to much warmer waters – was named Ninja by staff at the Seal Rescue Ireland sanctuary who nursed her back to health after she beached alive just before Christmas.

A second turtle found over the same period at Ballyhealy Beach sadly died.

"Ninja was our first turtle in the centre and we were extremely happy with her progress," said manager Meadow Greenwood. "Our fingers are still crossed for a full recovery and final ending of release."

Ninja has since been transferred to the longer-term marine wildlife care facilities at Galway Atlantaquaria.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI responded to their first callout of 2016 yesterday morning (Saturday 2 January) as they launched to reports of swimmer in difficulty off Rush.

Pagers sounded shortly before 10am after Dublin Coast Guard received reports that a man swimming at the North Beach was having difficulty getting back to shore.

Skerries RNLI volunteers launched the lifeboat with Conor Walsh at the helm and crew Paddy Dillon, Emma Wilson and Steven Johnston.

The Skerries Coast Guard unit and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 were also tasked. At the time there was a moderate sea swell and a Force 4 easterly wind.

While the lifeboat was en route to Rush, a local person launched their sea kayak to provide assistance to the man and managed to help him to the beach.

Skerries Coast Guard assessed the casualty and provided first aid before he was transferred by helicopter to hospital. The lifeboat was stood down and returned to base.

Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "We have had a lot of wind, rain and large seas lately. So we would advise everyone to exercise caution in or around the water.

"Even if you know an area well, the currents are likely to be quite different at the moment."

#Coastguard - Two callouts on St Stephen's Day brought the Irish Coast Guard's total annual helicopter rescue missions to the 1,000 mark for the first time since the service began in 1991, as RTÉ News reports.

Sligo's Rescue 118 had its 343rd mission of the year on Saturday 26 December when it airlifted a young boy with leg injuries, while the Shannon-based Rescue 115 was involved in a medevac from the Aran Islands, taking a pregnant woman to Galway University Hospital for its 330th response.

In the East, the coastguard crew of Waterford's Rescue 117 saw 179 missions this year, while Dublin's Rescue 116 embarked on 148 since January as of yesterday (Sunday 27 December).

RTÉ News has more on the story HERE.

#Rescue - An elderly man with a suspected broken ankle was rescued from one of Northern Ireland's most popular coastal walks at the weekend, as the Belfast Telegraph reports.

The injured man was on a part of the Causeway Coast Way not accessible by road, requiring coastguard teams from Ballycastle and Coleraine to attend and help him to a waiting ambulance.

The Belfast Telegraph has more on the story HERE.

#StormDesmond - Mike the donkey has a lot to be cheery about as volunteers for Animal Heaven Animal Rescue helped rescue him from floodwaters in Kilorglin, Co Kerry yesterday (Sunday 6 December).

As TheJournal.ie reports, Suzanne Gibbons from the animal rescuers put out an appeal on social media after she was altered to the fate of the donkey, who had bolted from his field after Storm Desmond blew the gate over and got trapped in a nearby flooded river.

It wasn't long before two local men brought a boat with a rope and life ring to help tow back onto dry land the grateful animal who's since been named after one of his rescuers.

Rising water levels across the country in the wake of Storm Desmond have prompted a marine notice from Waterways Ireland advising all masters and owners of vessels at public harbours, jetties or moorings against boating in extreme conditions such as storm-force winds and heavy rainfall.